Well, hey!

So, alright, I haven't worked on this blog for a long time now, but I think I can stick to a weekly regime from here on in. With my salary being what it is now, I'm going to buy one new song every Sunday. Then I'll write about which song I bought and why it's an awesome song. So I'll be entitling these "Cole's Song of the Week Picks"

Anyways, I'll kick it off with a song I got a few days ago. If you're an Alternative junkie, you'll probably like this song. "Harborcoat" by R.E.M. is the song I've been listening to on infinite loop for the past few hours, with good reason. Like most of their tunes, this song has a driving beat and socially interesting lyrics. This song is about Soviet Russia and probably has more interpretations than I can think about right now. If you get the chance I recommend it. There's a live version on youtube, where you can actually see R.E.M at one of their earlier gigs.

Sleepy time!

Exhausted, I throw my keys on the floor, upon entering my flat

I kick my boots to the wall, not checking to see where the cat is

Both miss, thankfully, but she nearly hit the ceiling from the abrupt impact

I flop onto my mattress in the back room; taking my clothes off standing up would take

Too much effort. Wriggling out of them was more fun anyways

Somewhere on the bed was a wayward crumb, which found its way into my hair.

Thinking it was a tick, I pulled it out and flicked it towards the bathroom

“Tomorrow,” I murmured “I’ll flush you”

You didn’t have to tell me

To shut my eyes. I knew exactly how to sleep

Sometimes, we know better than other nights

Above me, a strange buzzing noise grew out of the mortar and PVC

My upstairs neighbor’s phone was on vibrate

And it wasn’t long until I heard him frantically searching for it

A chuckle escaped my parched mouth,

Picturing this Orson Welles of a man

Hustling to some rogue caller

“It’s under your chair,” I whispered “You know, the one you can’t get out of anymore”

Lulled by his conversation

Which was muffled by the insulation

I drifted off to sleep

Tomorrow

Would be

Another day.

Hum

“Master, tell me, how can one make the words themselves

Simple, yet cryptic, bold, yet refined, easy to understand, yet thoughtful

Dance from the paper to the mind itself?

How is it possible that a word itself

Can change a sentence to a moment?

A paragraph to an experience?

A page to a journey?

What ideas fuel the writing?

Furtive

Bleak

Intrepid

How can I turn a dialogue into a conversation?

And a word into a smile?

What is the difference between a rookie and a journeyman?”

“The answer, son, is one so simple

Spellbinding in theory, intangible to many

The aspect of writing is not to

Draw one’s soul onto the page

It is the opposite.

Take your page and press it to your heart.

Let your inner being perform rituals around the fire

Bellow with glee in creativity

For the art comes not from the soul

It comes with it.”

What is it?

What can I tell you?

You think you already know everything about this

"Single faceted"

Being that simple person

Hiding in the corner there

You say I make you laugh.

Yeah, that happens. I seem to have a knack for that.

But that's probably just about it.

Nothing more behind those jokes

Chistes y nada mas

Comic Relief in this "Oh so interesting drama"

Let me tell you.

When things really hit the fan

When shit really breaks out,

How are you going to handle yourself?

Scurry back to mom and pop

And have them hug you and tell you

Sweet Sweet lies?

Have them do everything for you?

Your facade is undone

Just don't let anyone see you.

All I can say

Is look.

There's more to everyone than meets the eye

More than surface value

And if there isn't

They're living a lie

And have no substance

Behind that

Mask.

Singer Accredits Success To Small Child From Another Plane

After his latest publicity stunt of attempted suicide, it isn't uncommon to see the lead singer of the band "Skunklefunk" in the news. The hit vocalist Trevor_Candy had hit rock bottom just last month after "Heavy dabbling in drugs", as the band's drummer, PilesOfBrown, recalled:

"Really, he just couldn't handle the pressure after our band had unlocked a new set list," stated the Brown, "I think it's always hardest for the singer...but him talking about suicide was a real wake up call for us. I mean... This was serious shit,"

Luckily, the singer pulled through his addiction, and could ultimately attribute his rise back to the top of the charts to his conversion to Buddhism. However, all successes come with a price. It was early in the afternoon last Monday when Candy was found reaching enlightenment, the ultimate goal of followers of the Buddhist faith. According to testimonies from the band themselves, Candy was saying things of how his life was "Simply a small piece of entertainment for a family or group of friends" and that "His recent success could only be the work of a 7 year old boy".

"(I) couldn't help but cry when he said that," states the group's bassist, default. "Really, it wasn't so much his conversion that shocked us, or this strange conclusion of his, but to think he'd think some kid was in control of his fate as a musician? It broke my heart. I mean, would you play music with someone who could, at any minute, drop everything for 'snack time' and to color with crayons?"

Undoubtedly, the fans were moved by this strange announcement as well. Seeing their idol attribute all his hits to "A 7 year old boy singing covers of songs from elsewhere" certainly took a toll on record sales. The band is already making plans to cancel their concert in Dublin due to "People unable to accept this harsh truth," stated Candy, blunty.

He went on to say that "He would've stopped playing after the summer ended, anyway. School would've gotten in the way, and his brother would most likely over-write our save file..."

After a short week of listening to Candy's long-winded and confusing rants, the band's morale was reduced to only a shadow of what it once was. The fate of "Skunklefunk" looks grim, especially after Candy's potential 'vow of silence'.

Odd. Very Odd Indeed...

What is it with people being so paranoid in this city?

I remember that before I moved out of Wyoming, Minnesota, I'd come to Nesting Grounds and the ladies working here would let their kids roam the store talking to its caffeinated customers like they were brothers and sisters.

About... I guess it'd be 8 months ago... the assistant manager of this place was celebrating her 40th birthday. They had a cake for her and were smoking cigarettes in the back room (Which is probably what any 40th birthday is like). Her 8 year old son came up to me holding a pack of tattered old cards and politely asked to play Go Fish with me. After taking a sip of my coffee, I obliged and we had fun (Despite the fact that the deck was missing a half dozen cards). She probably enjoyed having the kid out of her hair too while she enjoyed her brief minutes of celebrating her birth.

Today, however, a young couple was talking to their insurance agent here. They had a toddler who managed to stumble over to my table, where I was doing some light reading on my computer. I had only a moment to look over and smile at him before his dad ran up and snatched him away, sneering at me in his periphery.

From this, I can only conclude one of two things: I either look like a creeper child abductor, or people have become ridiculously scared of other people.

Am I taking this just a bit too personally? Maybe. And hey, I've never had a kid of my own, so I've got next to no parenting experience (Other than baby sitting and playing with my ex Kellie's two year old).

But are we not all human here? The people in this town seem to long for peace of mind, and when you get a big group of people seeking that, you either get paranoia or tension, it seems. Which gets back to the utopian theories of how the perfect world can't exist in reality.

So I can just say that I'll treat everything and everybody with respect. We all do stem from the same essence and have no reason to cause seperation. Your joys can be of mine, and your pains too. There's no reason not to be friendly, so there you have it.

Just remind me not to be bitter. Coffee tends to do that to you.

Grabbing Thoughts of the Restless Mind

As I write this,

Or rather, as I strain to write this,

I've got a fair enough amount of thought processes (Processi sounds so much better, but is, alas, not gramatically correct) shooting back in forth in my head.

How much does one have to think before they can be considered "Clinically crazy"?

Or is it that he who doesn't think is the crazy one?

I can't tell, and I'm certain this is a bit too much for the sane mine to take in.

Certainly, that can't be true. Take into consideration the bright psychologists in this world. Are they the crazy ones? Probably not.

Fact of the matter is, we can't fathom to comprehend that which is out of our grasp.

Example time:

Can someone love someone who isn't there?

This question poses many, but I've been looking at all sides of this proverbial variable.

1) Yes. Someone can love some who isn't there. Love is beautiful and mysterious enough to transcend all borders, barrieres and limits, so yes one could effectively love anyone or anything, regardless of its/his/her presence.

2) Yes, but that person isn't necessarily loving the person him/herself, but the memories of experiences shared with this person. This is simply the act of rememberance or honor, and not necessarily love of that person.

3) No. Love is fostered by care, togetherness, and commonalities, such as time spent doing similar things with each other. If the person you really love isn't there for you when you need them most, it's only harmful, and you'll end up being a hopeless looney. Attachment to a person can effectively damage oneself, and this isn't love but obsession

Which answer is right? Of course, this isn't the SAT of compassion and care, so I don't know the answer, nor can I say that my resolve of this question is the right one:

Quid Pro Quo is a latin expression meaning "Something for something". It can be determined as gratification, be it instant or in the long term, but nonetheless is something I keep thinking about. When you love someone (Memories, conversations, anything to do with them), you remember them. They impacted you in some way profoundly, and you care about them for as long as you humanly can.

Say, that after time passes, you see less and less of this person. They're busy with other problems, and suddenly find themselves trapped in their own muddle of reality, too busy for others. Contact has been cut off, and no new memories can be formed and new experiences can't be shared. You still love this person, though. And that lives on, because love is patient. More than that, love is ever-present. In this sense, Quid Pro Quo shows itself again.

If you remember this person every day, and still care about them, they feel it.

I have no clue how, but in time, they come back to you, very happy that you never forgot about them. And they will have many new things to share with you.

Does a certain person come to my mind?

Yes. Several. I feel like I have the capacity to love many people, and care about them in a deep profound way. Certainly not always romantically, but I care. And I try my best to always remember them.

However, to conclude this long-winded thought, I've got one person who I haven't talked to in a while. Who I miss.

A lot.

And I hope she's doing fine. Certain medical procedures take time to heal, and I'm sure she's toughing it out.

Who am I to say she isn't reading this now? It's a public blog. And I'm sure more read it than I think. Which is why I'm glad to share this thought.

I am happy. You should be too.

-Joy Sinews