Julian Beever’s sidewalk chalk paintings are amazing. It’s completely crazy how he gets everything to be so perfectly proportionate especially considering how he has to stretch everything out so much. It must take him so long to finish them all—they’re all so detailed. It’s such a shame, however, that when it rains they all just wash away. Which made me start to think about how things are so impermanent (I know, very philosophical) in life. But then there are things like the Coliseum and the pyramids in Egypt that have been around for so long and will stay around long after we are gone.
And then there are things that aren’t concrete, like the hippie ideas that existed in the sixties and seventies, that come and go. But there are also non-concrete ideas like religion that have lasted for thousands upon thousands of years and will most likely stick around forever.
People are afraid of change, but it happens whether we like it or not. And some things stay the same whether we like it or not. There is always going to be war and strife, just like the Detroit Pistons can be really good one year and then the next year be really bad (obviously…ahem). There’s pretty much nothing we can do about it. So I guess if I were a philosopher I would say, go with the flow. Take each new challenge as it comes... which people hate hearing so I guess it’s a good thing I’m not a philosopher.

The Truman Show

I am henceforth a big fan of “The Truman Show”. I have always loved Jim Carey for his humor and ability to really take on the character he plays, while adding some of his own personality to the character. But I’m even more impressed with his portrayal of Truman in this particular movie. The film has such a unique concept. How weird would it be to live your whole life with the faith that it was completely normal, only to find out after however many years that the life you live is completely unprecedented and unusual and nothing like how you thought it was? I suppose that the memories you experienced would still be your memories, but I can’t help but wonder if knowing that everyone in your life was paid to treat you a certain way would or would not taint those memories. I think it would for me, at least.
I also wonder what would have happened if Truman had stayed in his little bubble of a world. Would he ever be able to forget that it was all kind of a sham? I feel like I would go completely crazy, overanalyzing everything and everyone in my life. It seems to me that Truman really only had one choice at the end of the movie and that was to go out into the “real” world and take whatever came his way…

Preposterous Pirates

Somali pirates recently attacked a French navy vessel in the Indian Ocean after mistaking it for a cargo ship. Alright maybe it’s just because I haven’t been keeping up with the news lately or because I don’t pay much attention to this kind of stuff, but I had no idea that pirates were still as prevalent as they obviously are today. I decided to do some more research on these pirates, expecting to see “Pirates of The Caribbean”-esque ships with cannons and flags with cross and bones. I was therefore quite surprised to see five guys driving a speedboat… I guess even pirates have progressed with the times.

We're So Vain, We Probably Think This Post Is About Us

Carly Simon said it right: “You’re so vain; you probably think this song is about you.” Few people are exempt from the curse of vanity. And in today’s day and age, there are just so many outlets for it. On facebook, people have hundreds of pictures tagged of themselves posing in from of the mirror—I am no exception to this rule. Cosmetic companies thrive on the vanity of women to buy their products, promising results that will show you looking younger and more beautiful. People put mirrors all over their houses and watch their reflections in just about anything. My cell phone is designed that when the screen isn’t lighted, the screen becomes a mirror.
It’s ridiculous how vain I, and people like me, are. And it’s only getting worse as time goes on. In thirty years we’ll be obsessing over receding hair lines and crow’s feet and the dreaded gray hairs! The question I pose is, is it our fault? Or the result of the media and the perfect image they throw at us that we aspire to?