dudes

ok, well, i just finished my coursework for my masters in library and information studies. my second masters, mind you, (and my fifth year of post-bachelors education). i felt pretty beat afterwards. For my one of my classes, i, among other things, designed this website:

http://www.student.city.ac.uk/~abdc175/WAD/noteboxx_div2.html

it seems to only work on internet expolorer, and there are some navigation problems besides, but whatevs. It uses HTML, CSS, PHP and MySQL. what do you want?

Ok, btw, the picture is from Vienna. Caireen and I went there for a long weekend on a package deal. behind me is the secession building, which was an important center for--you guessed it--the vienna secession movement. On top of the building is a golden cabbage. I don't know why. Here, below, is Caireen in this amazing Vienna fleamarket. I bought a straight-razor and caireen bought two miniature seals with seal fur(?) and a little purse for change made of rabbit fur.



Vienna was pretty rad, i have to say: nice people, super-efficient public transportation, and culture up the ass hole. (I separated the words "ass" and "hole" there for emphasis.) This fairly small city produced Ludwig Wittgenstein, Gustav Klimt, Karl Popper, Egon Scheile, and Sigmund Freud. Like, what did Portland, Oregon ever produce? Matt Groening and the Dandy Warhols. Did Portland ever produce a philosophical, psychological, or artistic movement? No.

Then again, did Vienna produce Chris Stuker, Matt Beach, Jayme Fortune and Mikey Chin. I mean, there are certain levels of steeze that can only be produced in certain specific, controlled environments.

I mean, just look at this, will you?



Ok, anyway. As you, Eby, predicted, i have been in a pit of reading. not much interesting to report. I have become a huge fan of Friedrich Kittler, and All the Pretty Horses is a very good book, as you probably already know--even if Blood Meridian is better.

i haven't been skateboarding much. saying it makes me feel kind of ashamed. when i tell friends who don't skate they seem really sad for me. perhaps it's that i let school and whatever worries take over my life to that degree. i think it is that i feel ready for something amazing to happen, and i have the irrational belief that performing well in a librarianship course at City University would lead to this amazing thing happening. Well, some good shit has happened. I got a library supervisor job at the University of Greenwich. And I think my dissertation will turn out well. What I would really like is to publish it. That would count as an amazing thing, in a way. So, like, put me in your thoughts or whatever.

Also, did you know what the hot shit in London is right now? Track bikes. That's right, basically everything that was cool in New York, like 5-7 years ago is just now hitting the streets of london. The British also seem to believe that social networking websites just suddenly appeared six months ago. Seriously.

in any case, um, i like this song.

bsng-bs180

February 18th. In this day in history, nothing really interesting happened. Besides that Eby Ghafarian was born. Happy Birthday, friend. I just started a job cataloging for Portland Public Schools. I work with a nice group of folks. Right now we are at Boise-Eliot. It's auspicously located right next to the dept. of skateboarding.

Boise-Eliot is K-8; so most of the book are "children's" books. Some childrens' books are amazing--like really well-designed magazines, only with one (way better) topic and better pictures. Like this. I think I got this from a book on Cherokees. This girl would be pretty much the coolest girl in the LES right now.

Here is another option for the future of skateboarding fashion. I can't remember where i got this from. Ali Boulala? If you are out there, please take some notes on how to actually be awesome for real.
I think they are trying to take the piss.
um?Now I know these guys are taking the piss! There's a fucking burger in the astronaut's reflection! What does that mean? And why is he wearing slippers?

Other skate-related information: Zimbabwe is all hesh now.
This is from a book called Children of the Yukon. I like these paintings. I am not sure if the Yukon is really this amazing. But who cares? Just look at these for a sec and try to forget about skateboarding.This deer-hunting picture is my favorite.
I like how the illustrator makes the Yukon look so fun. Just simple shapes, mesmerizing colors, and simple scenes. I like the kids running around. Simple physical language. The viewer is spared of any spastic facial expressions.This would be on the other end of the spectrum. Skateboard Renegade, by Matt Christopher.RENEGADE! Never been afraid to say/ what's on my mind at any given time of day/Cause I'm a RENEGADE! Never been afraid to talk/ about anything. (ANYTHING?) anything. (ANYTHING?) RENEGADE!
ren·e·gade [ren-i-geyd] –noun 1. a person who deserts a party or cause for another. 2. an apostate from a religious faith. –adjective 3. of or like a renegade; traitorous. [Origin: 1575–85; < Sp renegado < ML renegātus (n. use of ptp. of renegāre to desert, renege)]

This is the face of skateboarding today.
"We learn from history that we do not learn from history."--GWF Hegel