they're taking the hobbits to isengard! to isengard! to isengard!

I don't spend a lot of time on youtube, but I see a few things.  Including this.  It's human tetris, but not the hilarious Japanese game show.  Instead this is a stop motion art project simply representing the video game.  As you're watching it, take a second to consider how much work this must have been--painstakingly moving each person to the next exact position.  Some people might ask what it's good for.

It's not like this art will inspire revolution or social change--it's hardly a commentary on the idea of video games (though I think it does have some things to say about how we view the digital world).  It's not really beautiful in a strict sense. 

But it is one thing: awesome.  Pure, unadulterated, home style, organically farmed awesome.  Go watch it again.  It's absolutely brilliant for no reason other than what it is.  

I don't like it when people question the point of art.  While subtext is vital to any artistic work, many things don't need a point or a movement.  They're just fantastic.  Spice of life, right there.    

This video really illustrates my point.  It's pretty stupid, I know.  But watch it tomorrow morning and then just try to have a bad day. 

i believe in something, but i don't know what it is. it's either the future or the end. it's every reason that i do or don't get out of bed.

Defiance, Ohio=amazing band.  

I was walking between classes (listening to that band/song, actually) today and the ground went something like this:

snowsnowsnowsnowsnowICEICEsnowsnowsnowsnow

At one point I slipped.  I'll leave it up to you to figure out where.

I'm not the most graceful guy in the best of circumstances, so it's not like falling is exactly a new experience.  Usually I breakfall or just kind of sit down, but today I stuck my hand out and nearly dislocated my shoulder.  It was kind of disturbing for me: I've been practicing breakfalls for over eight years--normally they're automatic.  

For those of you playing along at home, there's a lesson to this.  No matter how ready you think you are, sometimes you're not.  Prevent this by practicing, you all know this--long and hard, sometimes under induced pressure.  But stuff happens--whether a slip, important form, tough sparring match or a real self-defense situation, sometimes those ninja skills seem to abandon us under pressure.     

Beyond practicing twice as hard afterwards, the only thing to do when you're floundering is work through it.  For me that involved a dust off and my best attempt at a casual shrug, hopefully for the benefit of that cute girl walking behind me.  A fall is over quickly though, other times when we become skill-less can last a while.  In that case, take a breath, stay calm and remind yourself you know it and can perform.  If that fails do what I did and try to make it seem like you meant to screw up. 

Not that it did me any good.   

we control the vertical, we control the horizontal

There is something I should clarify.

I've written a lot about the punk and hardcore communities, but I don't want anyone to think that I consider them perfect little worlds.  There are stupid people in both--sexism in hardcore, for instance, is a persistent issue.  But we're rebellious and working on it.  We want something better from the world and have decided not to sit around and hope we can elect someone who will do it for us.  We're making a better world for ourselves--that's the point.  I don't delve into the issues of punk and hardcore because I know most of you don't care.

There are also two kinds of hardcore scenes.  The first is young men who are probably on steroids writing terrible, chuggy music that glorifies violence, homophobia and other bad stuff.  As far as I'm concerned what I participate has nothing to do with those bands or individuals.  I don't respect them at all and don't want to associate with them.

The other kind, or 'real' hardcore for the purists, is diverse in style (within reason) and participants.  More nice people.  The problem is, when most people think of my subculture, they think of the first kind since it's better known.  Please, try not to.

Also, why do I write about this so much?  Well, not only is it a huge part of my life, it's also something fairly unique that I can bring to the UBBT table.  We all know how great the martial arts are: that's why we're here.  In talking about my loud music, I'm trying to show the impact its had on my life as well as further demonstrate the power of a real community. 

i may burn this all down if gas goes below fifty cents

I was in Vancouver this past week visiting friends and have two pieces of advice.  First, Excellent Sushi downtown on Granville St.  22 rolls for five dollars.  Secondly, go to Uncle Fatih's Pizza right outside the Commercial drive Skytrain station and order a slice of potato pizza.  It'll change your life.

I've also revised some of my opinion on buying used.  While I still love the idea, I've decided it's more ethical to buy DIY goods new.  By DIY I mean a t-shirt/record from the band who are struggling to eat while on tour or a lovingly crafted piece of art or zine (not that anyone charges for zines).  The whole point of buying used is to not buy (ha, ha) into the corporate mentality--the consumer treadmill I talked about in my last post, and I feel a good way to resist that is to support those who are trying to do what they love outside of the corporate mainstream.

This have gotten me thinking quite a bit about what I buy into on a daily basis.  As most of you know, I consider myself in subculture of hardcore, but what does that mean?  Most of my close friends are punk/hardcore types, I go to shows, listen to the music, consider and discuss ideas that come out of hardcore,  have ideas about what my subculture should look like--all sorts of neat stuff.

But I still am sitting in my house in Edmonton.  I'm still a privileged Northern citizen with a car (well, kind of) and disposable income.  More importantly, I participate in this culture.  The question one of my Vancouver friends raised is: why should I?  

Why should I count myself as part of a culture that tells me that I have to be rich to be happy?  That tells me that I'm somehow better because I'm male and white, somehow worse because I'm young?  Why should I bother with something that wants me to beg at the feet of politicians for any real change?  That tries to make me profit off the backs of third world labourers all while dulling my brain on cotton candy entertainment?  Why should I let this culture take my power away?

In the UBBT we talk a lot about changing the world.  I think I've got a different view on it, that too many are settled with the way things are and we aren't going to wake enough of them up.  In order to truly change the world there would have to be such massive economic and class restructuring that we would lose the lives we're used to.  And we're comfortable with the power structure, because the middle class of North America or Europe are pretty near to the top.  At some point we sold our true power as individuals for the shirts in our closets and the trappings of a modern life, for some, are too good to give up.

But a subculture (in the real sense, not the I shop at Hot Topic because no one understands me sense) can let me help create a space away from the mainstream where I do have power as an individual.  That's what I want: for people to reject the mainstream and recreate the world as they wish.  For example, I don't think racism can ever really be overcome--despite the colour of a president's skin.  There are still many racist individuals and institutions out there.  The best thing would be to change their minds--I doubt that'll happen.  In my view, they can just go off and be racist by themselves, if they wish to act like that then they aren't welcome in the culture I want. 

Now you all don't have to go about this as angrily as I am.  You can, of course--a good way to start some sort of rude gesture at a Wal-Mart.  Anyway, the subculture of martial artists has great power to redefine our worlds.  The UBBT is perfect for this, especially because self-improvement is a key step in this process.  But please, my fellow UBBT team members, recognize that a big chunk of our society is against us in this endeavor of changing the world, that our culture is in fact built to resist any positive change.  So instead maybe we should kind of start fresh, while encouraging people to do the same.  Let's take our power, starting with the power we hold over ourselves. 

Writing this got me pretty worked up but I have to go back to studying latin.  Get ready for some super intense verb conjugations!