7005!

You know that sweet-ass new position I was so excited about getting last month at work?  Yea, that's the very same one that's being dissolved as of Monday.

When being recruited, I asked specifically if this wasn't a fly-by -night position, because in my place of work specialized teams come and go.  I was assured that the job was here to stay (and to his credit this team had been around for a couple of years already).  So I can't help but to feel a bit bushwaggled.  It's not the worst case scenario, though.  I still keep my sweet schedule but I'm thrown back into the tedium, which I'm not sure whether it's a blessing or a curse considering my 10+ hour days.

I'm determined not to think of it this weekend, however, because I'm on my way to pick up a metric sh*t-ton of cookies from Jimmy's on Belmont and pick up my tux (and it better damn fit right since this is my first opportunity to try it on).  Then I'll be driving about an hour up to Aurora, Ohio for a huge party/wedding weekend in a swank inn. Right now I'm over-packing and desperately searching for a black belt.  Looks like I'm going to have to buy another. The work week will come sooner than expected but if I act as if it doesn't exist then I may just get to enjoy myself for a couple days.

Besides that everything else is on the up & up.  Bitches be crazy.  Frisbees be flyin'.  Another day in the life.


One interesting tidbit that I looked into recently was my text messaging usage. Incoming/Outgoing for
April: 5855
May:  5665
June:  7005

Where the hell do I find the time?

Yet another reason to love Brazil

I've been doing very poorly with my Portuguese.  Actually, I'll take that back because it denotes that I've been working on my Portuguese at all.  I haven't.  I also need to do some research into getting a work visa for the 2016 Brazil Olympics because I'm thinking that's the widest open door for this move and it fits well within my 5ish year time frame.

What I have been doing is a lot of working and not much else.  Well, I'll take that back too because I've also been spending a good amount of that money which is what I shouldn't be doing.  But in my defense it's mostly been in preparation for weddings which I absolutely love.

And also, while typing this, I found yet another reason to love Brazil:

Blindness (2008)

This movie is f*cked up. 

I honestly wish I hadn't watched it.  Not to say in any respect that the movie is bad.  Quite the contrary, it succeeds in what I believe are all the points it's trying to hit.  It's very well shot and masterfully acted by a great cast of characters, some of which underused.  I've become a great fan of the pairing of Julianna Moore and Mark Ruffalo.  The pacing is spot on.  At no point did I feel that the two hours were squandered.  Am I going to read the book after seeing this? Probably.  

My gripe is not with the film-making or the story-telling.  It's with the truth portrayed.  The depths of humanity that we can't bear to acknowledge but are so accurately showcased, unapologetic, in this movie that made my sick to my stomach and angry that I was made to watch it.  The glimpse inside myself to make me question which side of the coin on which I fall.    There are taboos that are not broken in modern media.  Scenarios in which we are have become accustomed to the Dues Ex Machina swooping in the save the day that we don't give it a second thought.  On the rare occasion that a director or story-teller does not turn away the lens and shows what is unjust and rotten; what actually happens in the real world, we become scandalized.  It's this unflinching camera that has earned my disdain.

I make it a point not to read reviews before I contribute my 2 cents and I'm shaking with anticipation to see what's been said about this film.  But regardless of what's been said, regardless of what I've said, I will defend this work.  As allegories go it's not the most original of the lot but it is well put and it will demand your attention.

7.5/10

Machine of Soft Tissues (unfinished and scrapped)

And what did the angels call her? And which one of them was held responsible?  Which of them had the audacity to suggest a creation like her?  This spectacle of femininity.  This anomaly. 
In the morning she stirs and all of God's creatures take notice.
Machine of soft tissues.  Bone and sinew that compose something all together brilliant. With a radiance to rival our very own sun.


Each bat of the lashes like the opening salvos of a decades long war.


Lips that, when pursed, cause hairs to stand on end.  Startling.  That feeling of unintentionally running your fingers through taut cobwebs.


And what did the angels call her?  What did they name perfection? Ah yes; [Omitted].

The Commission

One of my new coworkers has commissioned me for a introduction to rap music sampler.  I pride myself on my ability to put together excellent mixes, but I've had my head so far out of hip hop over the past 5 to 10 years that this has proven to be somewhat of an awakening for me.
She actively asked me for the mix with no provocation or previous conversation on the matter.  I applauded her curiosity and gladly obliged. To add a bit of perspective, this request had come from an adorable petite little porcelain princess who lives in middle american Ohio where, I can only imagine, Confederate flags are a common occurrence on many a neighborhood front porch.   Thusly I consider this an honor and an opportunity to broaden the horizons of someone who is genuinely curious.  I highly doubt that what I had to her will be what she wants or expects.  That's understood and dually noted.  My prejudice places her hip hop knowledge to be limited to that of late 90's Ja Rule and and aught Jay Z.  She also mentioned something about Rhianna which she quickly and sort of apologetically conceded with, 'Oh well, I guess that's not really rap'.
No, my dear. It's not.

I take this duty very seriously and have been working hard on it on my 4 day holiday weekend.  I'm doing a listen-through right now of what I think may be the final cut. I won't post the track listing as, honestly, I don't want to date myself nor am I confident in my choices.  I tried to choose some of those most  accessible and potent songs in my library.  It just so turns out that 6 of the 14 ended up with J Dilla production.  Kanye, Outkast, and The Roots have also made the cut.  Admittedly It's very niche.

While on memory lame I stumbled upon one of the dopest and ballsiest instrumentals, in my opinion, in rap history.  Every now and again Diddy (back then Puff Daddy) would come out with something that reminds you of just how he got on top.  Too bad this track was squandered by one of his many lackluster MCs and his own incessant yelling over top the song.  Here's G-Dep's  'Special Delivery':

It has no bass line!

To be fair, though, Outkast did do that first (and also with no proper drum track) with one of my dearest songs off of their ATLiens album, E.T. (Extraterrestrial):

M83