Thursday, May 26, 2011

A Walk Through the Forest

I've been filling my time up with three main activities: Playing Pokemon, rereading some of my favorite books, and searching for some form of employment. Two of these three activities have been successful, and I don't think you need to think to hard to guess which one has been a flop. I'm not terribly stressed about it, though. As much as I genuinely do want to work, I don't at all mind the downtime either. With my parents working, my younger sister at school, and my older sister and brother in law doing their own thing, the house is quiet. That sounds pretty obvious, but trust me, between the girls of my family (who can and will talk your ear off) and the student teachers that have in the past lived with us, the house normally had some form of noise going on. It wasn't obnoxious, but it wasn't exactly what I would call peaceful.

So I've been doing a lot of writing and a lot of thinking. You'll get to see the writing before too long, but only after I think it's "done". I put the term in quotation marks, because as Leonardo da Vinci once said,  
"Art is never finished. Only abandoned."
 I think that's true for a number of different reasons. The first reason being that the artist will always have more to express. This artist could choose to express that idea (or set of ideas) all through one piece, but that then risks spoiling the purity of the expression found in a particular single piece. Thus, the best choice for the artist is to continue the work in another piece. Whether the artist ever realizes it or not, all of her pieces are interconnected because of that one intrinsic feature.

Another reason that art is never finished is that once the artist has chosen to abandon a specific piece, she leaves everything up to the eyes or ears of the audience. It's very scary, being a painter or singer, a writer, sculptor, or speaker. You are revealing your real self to your audience whenever you display your work. Each time you put work out there, you essentially open the door so that anyone may come in and say "Listen here, bub, this sucks and I'm going to tell you every reason why."

In a way, every artist is walking through a deep, dark, dense, damp forest. I don't mean a bunch of trees outside a schoolyard, I'm talking an Old Growth forest where the trees are so ancient that they block out light from the sun so smaller plants rarely grow beneath the huge blanket of branches and leaves. The kind of forest that you might be scared to walk through-- not because of what could be in there, but because you fear altering some part of it. Every artist's soul is like that forest. Each branch, root, bird, beast and insect hums with life.

Walking through the forest is intimidating, but through practicing their art, they are able to traverse, map, and really familiarize themselves with the forest and navigate it and travel from one area to another, eventually coming to a completely different and new region: the soul of another. Through art, the artist discovers herself and this helps her come closer to others.


My art is mainly through words, as you all have seen. I always feel like it's not very good, but I try and get it out there so I can become better and better. I try and connect (albeit indirectly) with my readers, and with other artists, by just writing a lot, whether I think it's shit or I think it's enough to make Ralph Waldo Emerson roll in his grave.

I haven't forgotten about the original purpose I gave this blog: To use my words to fight for what I know is right. Even if it seems subtle or even absent, I am sharpening my blade with every stroke of the key.

"Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through."
— Ira Glass

Friday, May 20, 2011

Airports

I have mixed feelings about airports. When I'm traveling, I love them. When I'm at home, I'm fascinated by them. When one of my friends leaves, everything about them makes me upset.

Today, I said goodbye to one of my best friends. She's going back to her home, in Ethiopia. Thousands of miles away. There have been a bunch of gatherings of friends to sort of ease the blow, make sure she goes out with a bang, and give her good memories. Something tells me it only made it harder on a lot of us, having that many goodbye hugs.

I woke up this morning knowing what was going to happen. Saying my final goodbyes to my friend, making sure I only shed (at absolute maximum) TWO manly tears, out of one eye, not both. After that, a job interview at 2:45. Two big events that I was not (and am not) prepared to deal with. On top of all of that, when I went to the airport, I had completely forgotten my wallet. That, however, offered something to cheer me up.

I sincerely doubt that all of you responsible readers would  forget your wallets, so I am going to assume that none of you knows what happens when you are unable to pay for parking at an airport. The nice lady asked me to move my car off to the side of the road, which I did. I waited for an hour-long 10 minutes for someone to come talk to me. I explained that the only money I had on me was the 100 thou Vietnam đồng-- only about 5 dollars-- I kept in my small notebook for sentimental value. The man who came to discuss what they could do just sighed, smiled, and said "Well, get back in line for number 15. I'll see what I can do." I smiled, bowed, shook hands, and thanked him, obeying his instructions.

Instead of being billed for $10 ($5 for parking and $5 for being a dumbass and forgetting my wallet), the man lowered the fee to $3, swiped his own credit card, had me sign a small form, and wished me safe travels. Now, $3 is by no means a lot of money, but he did that for a complete stranger. A scatter-brained kid who he didn't know the name of. I drove away, crying for the second time that day because of the undeserved kindness I have received from friends and strangers alike.

For Rebka


Every time I’ve gone to an airport
It’s begun to rain.
This time, it’s no different.


When I heard that you’d be leaving
 I didn’t know how to react.
Will you leave soon?
Will you come back?
Will you keep in touch?
Will I ever see you again?
I felt these questions hit me like a waterfall to the top of my head.


Every time I've gone to an airport
I've felt like my stomach was made of stone.
This time, it's no different.


I remember days of smiles
Days of tension
Days of injera and phở
Days of learning
Days of forgetting.


Every time I've gone to an airport
It's been for a goodbye.
This time, it's no different.


You say, “I’ll be back”
But I know you’re reassuring yourself, not me.
I know I’ll see you again
On this soil, or on Abyssinian ground.


I kiss your forehead and wish you safe travels.
Only now, through tears, do I clearly see.
Sometime soon, we’ll live in the days of forgetting again.

Monday, May 16, 2011

Spread the Word!

Leafing through a few of my old posts, I realized something odd. I didn't have the "Yay, first post!" kind of first post. I jumped right into it, with one of my earliest bits of writing. Odd. Another thing I noticed is that the Ballpoint Blade is coming up on its 2000th page view. It may seem petty, but I'll look for any reason to celebrate. I really appreciate all of my dedicated readers, my followers, and those who read from across the ocean. It means a lot to know that what I lay down on paper and on this site is being read by others.

Therefore, I have a favor to ask of you all.

It helps bloggers a lot to know what kind of people (and how many people) actually regularly read their blogs. As a result, I'd like to see people who read regularly but don't Follow this blog become members (if you don't have a Google account) and just click the tiny little Follow button. Doing this will help me get a greater idea of who's out there!

Another thing that I request is that you take just a few minutes (or even less than that, depending on how fast you talk/text/type/et cetera) and talk to your a friend or two about the site. Most often my mindset about the blog is to use it as a place to store my thoughts, but I'm gonna be honest, it's a good feeling to know other people are reading. So, if it's just a room mate or a friend or a lover or Grandma or anyone, just tell one or two people. That's all I ask.

 Thanks a lot for your support, everyone, and I hope you continue reading The Ballpoint Blade.

Friday, May 13, 2011

Social Networking: Please Link Responsibly

So, I used to consider myself a fairly old-fashioned guy. I like paper books as opposed to E-readers, I play acoustic guitar, I follow Taoist philosophy, I wear a pretty straightforward style, I like to play games like Go... You know, pretty simple, right?

Well, I also make use of Facebook. And Twitter. And Formspring. And, obviously, Blogger. Social networking is, well... Big. Very big. Multibillion-dollar big. (Firefox spellcheck knows the word "multimillion" but not "multibillion". Inflation in action.) So, what do I do with these?

I socialize, obviously. What I mean is, I interact with hundreds of people simultaneously. For example, on my Facebook account, almost half of my friends are not from America or speak English as a second (sometimes third) language. On Formspring, I receive questions from people in Vietnam, Russia, Korea, California, and the US. On Twitter, I'm receiving information from famous people OR average joes, or anywhere in between! Anyone from Keith Olbermann to Weird Al Yankovic to Bill Maher to Nathan Fillion to the Dalai Lama to... You can see where I'm going with this.

As much as I would like to think that this means my sphere of influence is growing, looking mindfully into it reveals that the world is getting smaller. Anyone can share anything with almost anyone.I mean, hell-- News of the Libyan and Egyptian revolutions started ON FACEBOOK. Everything is turning to the Global rather than the Local now-- Even Pokemon!

I'm not kidding. In the newest games released in the franchise, a new feature was unveiled: The C-Gear, presumably short for Communications Gear. Upon activating the C-Gear, the Nintendo DS's wireless capabilities will automatically fire up. The interface has three options: Wireless, Wi-Fi, and Infrared.

The Japanese down below is a player's name.
Using the C-Gear, you can trade Pokemon with your friends, battle opponents from across oceans, and (if you are lucky enough to have a DSi or 3DS, which have cameras) Video-chat using the camera and microphones. Yup, that's right, Skype. On Pokemon.

All this has me thinking... In a world where information is everything, and everything is on the internet, how do we use this responsibly? What is the right way to use this global worldview? When everything is said and done, how do we reconcile the global with the local? Will everyone simply Tweet news, and forsake the newspaper? Will we stay indoors on sunny days for Formspring? Will we forget about Block parties and turn our heads toward mass online gatherings? Will we sacrifice face time for Facebook? 

Have we already?

Aside from that, if entire political upheavals can start on Facebook, what else can be sparked? What else will be sparked? Will information, already a form of currency, become a weapon (if it hasn't already)? If politicians have the power to deny access to the internet, and if we allow them to have it, what else will we freely give up?

As much as I am scared of these social networks, I'm going to keep using them (primarily Facebook and Twitter) because I am curious to a fault. I love being able to get information from all the way across the seas in seconds. However, when (and I say WHEN instead of IF on purpose) the day comes that the Social Network becomes too powerful for its own good, I'm going to cancel my accounts and I encourage you to do the same. For now, you can follow me on Twitter if you are so inclined.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

So, My Sister is Married Now.

Short post. I'll put another longer one up tomorrow. Promise!

So, my sister is married now. She now bears a brand new family name! I honestly could not be happier for her--I really wouldn't want her to marry anyone else.


I had a lot of fun! It took place in Marquette, Michigan, which is in the UP (Upper Peninsula) which is actually better off called Butt Fuck Nowhere.
Many lols, funsieses, and drinks were had. But mainly lols. I have a new brother and sister, and all this sort of silly stuff. The reception was fun, the ceremony didn't suck (My baby sister totally ROCKED her solo that my dad accompanied) and I met a lot of super legit people.

A lot of people, these days, think that marriage doesn't mean anything in this day and age. They think it's an outdated ritual with a bunch of unnecessary bullshit. That makes me really sad, because I think that there's something to be said about the value of being able to commit yourself to one person only for the rest of your life. That shows a lot of strength, and I respect it a lot.

If you read this and have an account on the site (or even not), why don't you leave something in the comments about what your views on marriage are? I'm curious.

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Things I Learned from Pokémon

-It's totally okay for parents to send 10 year old children out to tame superpowered creatures that can vomit nature itself. Totally okay. And not irresponsible whatsoever.

-Naturally ocurring phenomenon include Apricorn fruit growing back in a day, berries growing in less than a week, being able to cure wounds by drinking milk, and sandstorms that NEVER DIE DOWN.

-It's a good idea for little kids to CAPTURE Spirits of Nature
Pictured: Zapdos, Articuno, and Moltres
Time-Travelling Shinto Kami
Celebi


Creators of Land, Sea, and Sky
Groudon, Kyogre, and Rayquaza

Genetically enhanced master-race Superpokémon
Mewtwo
And GOD HIMSELF
Arceus
into tiny little balls about the size of an orange to call on whenever they need bitch-work done.

-Any Pokémon that you catch, if you already have 6 on your person, is teleported instantaneously to a computer that belongs to some weirdo 6 regions away. That would technically make that Pokémon his personal property.  Congrats, Bill, for becoming the Steve Jobs of the Pokémon world.

-Speaking of Bill, it's okay if you suddenly get your genes swapped with a Pokémon, because some random 10 year old will barge into your lab unannounced, uninvited and will surely know how to operate your highly scientific teleportation machine so that you can get your genes un-spliced.

- Just because a Mime is called Mr. doesn't mean it's not a lady.

-If you make eye contact with anyone you don't know, you MUST fight them. You have no choice.

-You can destroy Poison by throwing dirt on it, or by thinking. Really hard.

-Similarly, in a fight between the average insect and the average disciplined martial artist, The bug won't do very much damage... But neither will the fighter.

-However, Bugs do a number on psychics and dark-types alike.

-The more you walk around, the more your captured creatures will love you even though you keep them in tiny little balls until you bring them out to fight... for sport.

-It's fine to barge right in to anyone's house if it's unlocked. If you find shit lying on the ground, it's fair game.

-It's okay to build a castle right underneath the League of the most powerful Pokémon trainers in the region. That's not risky. They won't notice.

-Hyper Beam. All day, every day.