I’ve heard Sean Kingston’s “Beautiful Girls” too many times to count on the radio at work, which features the refrain, “You’ve got me suicidal.” However, it appears that the MTV version is censored and goes silent in the places where he would say the word “suicidal.”
Considering the popularity of fireplaces, Tiger (2000:68) says, “This is hardly surprising in view of the importance of fire in our history as a species,” and, “It is no wild speculation to claim that — like their contemporary descendants — our ancestors found comforting pleasure in nothing more complex than sitting by a fire and watching its ever-varied motion.”
No wild speculation? It is so tiring to see our pleasures imprecisely explained in terms of our evolutionary past. Might not the popularity of fireplaces instead have something to do with winter time associations, when we gather with family? Or other “fun” situations such as camping or grilling? And shouldn’t we also consider the fact that leisurely time is needed to enjoy a fireplace? Finally — isn’t it simply enough to say that fireplaces make us warm?
But Tiger (2000:68) doesn’t stop there: “Perhaps one reason for the appeal of tobacco smoking despite its clearly dreadful consequences for health is that it provides a portable fireplace — a signal of our control of fire and a hint of the pleasures of the hearth.”
I am in no way capable of taking this explanation of the popularity of tobacco seriously, especially since much simpler and defensible explanations exist, such as nicotine, advertising, and trying to be “cool.”
Tiger (2000:69) tries to counter these explanations by saying, “Yet is is interesting — indeed, striking — that few people become addicted to nicotine itself, without the intervening experience of smoking,” arguing that the fire holds the key to understanding this phenomena. But Tiger’s point only carries strength for those who share his ignorance about smokeless tobacco products such as dipping tobacco and chewing tobacco.
07/13/07 11:41 PM – Work was yet better. No interesting interactions necessarily, especially since I’ve taken to spending my breaks and lunch in Nano isolation, but the music throughout the day was humorous. I heard some Too Short, Guns and Roses’s “Use Your Illusion II” (twice), and Jim Croce. I contributed Muse’s “Black Holes and Revelations,” Squarepusher’s “Ultravisitor” (“What is this?” “Intelligent dance music.” Pause. “What does that mean?” “That’s just what it’s called…” Inner glee.), and KMFDM’s “Money.” There was something terribly enjoyable about listening to my music in a public sort of space and exposing people to things they might never ever hear (except Muse of course).
07/13/07 11:46 PM – After work I didn’t want to go home, so I went to Long John Silver’s for dinner. The root beer in a frosty mug was excellent. I sat there for about an hour or so after I finished eating listening to Keith and the Girl and trying to decide where to go/what to do next. I decided I wanted to see a movie, saw what was available and almost went back home, then decided to go ahead and see the latest Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Good movie, though not great, and awkward to see the characters “so old.” The authoritarianism made me bristle, and the allusions to Taoism were interesting (everything has good and bad). My favorite line: “You may not like him Minister, but you can’t deny it — Dumbledore’s got style!”
07/12/07 10:24 PM – Work was slightly better today — I learned to go faster, though they sped up the press, so I was never able to catch up… It’s a strange experience, mixed with tinges of failure and irrelevance. Someone asked if I was researching them, and when I said that I was studying gays in Tokyo it led to telling another co-worker about the construction of homosexuality. He was surprised that it was considered macho at one point in time to have sex with other men.
07/12/07 10:30 PM – After work I met up with a hetero couple from the atheism discussion group (which I had to miss today because of work). The guy turned out to be quite the capitalist (he even complained about taxes), but his girlfriend sided with my critique of consumerism. I mentioned Sicko, and she talked about growing up without insurance and waiting as long as possible to go to the hospital.
07/11/07 11:07 PM – Work was pretty brutal. Twelve hours mostly on my feet. The machine I was working at is for termite traps. There were three places I could be: putting wood and an extractor in the traps, putting caps on the traps, or boxing the traps. Putting the caps on was worst — it was hard to keep up and I had to put strength into an odd twisting motion. I wasn’t able to listen to my own music, but the radio was on — we listened to pop and country on the radio (they played “God Bless Texas” and “Unanswered Prayers). The woman who was training me has a six foot alligator.
07/10/07 06:58 AM – I woke up today at 6 a.m. I wasn’t sure this day would ever come.
07/14/07 03:15 PM – I took care of some tasks; went to Office Depot, Staples, Target and the post office to mail birthday cards; then went to movie night where we watched Deconstructing Harry. I didn’t really want to see, because I had seen it before. But I didn’t remember much when we watched it, and ended up really enjoying it. It made me think a lot about the kind of writer I am and the kind of writer I will never be. Why would I write fiction when I barely even read any fiction? No, I don’t think I have it in me to create stories ex nihilo, and non-fiction is what really excites me anyway…
07/09/07 10:50 PM – I woke up around 10:30 a.m. or so, time passed, and I read about Bentham. Later Hubert and I went to Taco Rico to celebrate Mexican Monday. After dropping him off I took some books back to the library, deposited some checks, and got a Frosty root beer float from Wendy’s.
This video really brings back memories about my first experiences with MTV, when avante-gardge absurdist surrealism was the norm. I should warn you though — you probably won’t be able to get this tune out of your head. I haven’t, even after all these years. (Via BoingBoing.)
07/09/07 12:25 AM – I woke up briefly at 10 a.m., lay back down and got up again at 2 p.m., gave in to sleep while reading (trying to adjust my schedule by going the other way), and got up again at 9 p.m or so. I got a Big Mac and watched Spider Man 3. I thought it was pretty good.
07/09/07 12:32 AM – In the evening I went to Sgt. Prestons with Hubert, Donovan, Joe, and Megan to discuss Sicko. Joe said that nothing will change until Americans learn to be critical thinkers, and I argued that critical thinking is just a tool and will do no good unless Americans lose the self-serving individualistic values that keep them from reaching out to those in need of medical assistance.