viernes, 19 de junio de 2009

No Excuses

I've been really terrible lately about updating this blog. I have no excuse, I've been caught up in some stuff which shouldn't really take precedence but is more immediate. The days have passed in a haze of classes, Facebook apps (they can get pretty damned addictive, can't they?), and attempts to reconnect with my guitar playing, which has never been exactly good in the first place. And mental stuff I can't really share and don't particularly want to anyway. Mind trips, yes, but damned pleasant ones at that. I figure I owe regular visitors something new by now, so this will have to do as an update until I can really create something new. What's up with Enrique these days?

Films. A few days ago I watched the films "Across The Universe," and "Star Trek." Both gave me intense enjoyment for different reasons. It's no secret that I'm a Trekkie, though I probably shouldn't mention it too often, and it's no secret that I love The Beatles. Both movies did have something in common, though, in that both were revisits to old ground, but with a makeover along the way. There's just something totally irresistible to me in the combination of the old with the new. So my mind wanderings lately have been oscillating between daydreams of space adventures, and brooding on some of my favorite Beatles songs.

Music. The Beatles, mainly, especially the "secretly-love-them" ballads which I like to deny that move me. "I Will," "Here, There, and Everywhere," "In My Life," and "Till There Was You," to name just four. I mean, they just cycle through my mind to the point where I have to grab the guitar and play them. But after playing those songs with a faraway and dreamy look on my face (I assume) over and over again, my mind and fingers really wanted to play my stuff too, so I started playing my songs as well. That made me realize that I really miss playing for people, which gave me an idea to record some of these songs with just me and my guitar; just go into the university studio and lay down tracks and see what happens. Then I thought, hey, if I'm going to start writing harmonies for some of these tracks, why do it all myself? Especially considering two things: first, my voice is just plain shot to hell by now, and I sound like crap; second, I have a few students who sing, and sing damned well. So I will probably ask some of them if they would do me the honor of lending me their voices for some tracks. So there I am.

TV. Still watching House whenever I can catch the new episodes. I have to thank that show for making intelligence attractive again, it's been a while since natural selection bred for that trait and I was pretty sure we were on our way, as a species, to defining ourselves in terms of image exclusively. So that's a plus.

School. It's my favorite term, May to August, because I get to teach Intercultural Communication again, and my students get to dress up as historical characters and put on a usually huge stage production which we all enjoy tremendously. Or at least, I do.

So that's where I am right now, still a geek, still trying to be cool, still dreaming of alternative universes where the impossible might actually happen, dreaming of time travel and trying to find words.

----E

domingo, 7 de junio de 2009

Superman is a Dick

¿Quieres perder tiempo y atacarte de la risa? Visita www.superdickery.com

una muestra:

Superman Physically Threatens Prankster

When Superman KILLED His Friends!

y otra:

Stand In Helpless Awe Of The Invincible Man's Penis!

No puedo dejar de reirme,

------E