Monday, August 29, 2005
are you a secret blogger?
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more rip offs from other people
how to blog by tony pierce, 110
1. write every day.
2. if you think youre a good writer, write twice a day.
3. dont be afraid to do anything. infact if youre afraid of something, do it. then do it again. and again.
4. cuss like a sailor.
5. dont tell your mom, your work, your friends, the people you want to date, or the people you want to work for about your blog. if they find out and you'd rather they didnt read it, ask them nicely to grant you your privacy.
6. have comments. dont be upset if no one writes in your comments for a long time. eventually they'll write in there. if people start acting mean in your comments, ask them to stop, they probably will.
7. have an email address clearly displayed on your blog. sometimes people want to tell you that you rock in private.
8. dont worry very much about the design of your blog. image is a fakeout.
9. use Blogger. it's easy, it's free; and because they are owned by Google, your blog will get spidered better, you will show up in more search results, and more people will end up at your blog. besides, all the other blogging software & alternatives pretty much suck.
10. use spellcheck unless youre completely totally keeping it real. but even then you might want to use it if you think you wrote something really good.
11. say exactly what you want to say no matter what it looks like on the screen. then say something else. then keep going. and when youre done, re-read it, and edit it and hit publish and forget about it.
12. link like crazy. link anyone who links you, link your favorites, link your friends. dont be a prude. linking is what seperates bloggers from apes. and especially link if you're trying to prove a point and someone else said it first. it lends credibility even if youre full of shit.
13. if you havent written about sex, religion, and politics in a week youre probably playing it too safe, which means you probably fucked up on #5, in which case start a second blog and keep your big mouth shut about it this time.
14. remember: nobody cares which N*Sync member you are, what State you are, which Party of Five kid you are, or which Weezer song you are. the second you put one of those things on your blog you need to delete your blog and try out for the marching band. similarilly, nobody gives a shit what the weather is like in your town, nobody wants you to change their cursor into a butterfly, nobody wants to vote on whether your blog is hot or not, and nobody gives a rat ass what song youre listening to. write something Real for you, about you, every day.
15. dont be afraid if you think something has been said before. it has. and better. big whoop. say it anyway using your own words as honestly as you can. just let it out.
16. get Site Meter and make it available for everyone to see. if you're embarrassed that not a lot of people are clicking over to your page, dont be embarrassed by the number, be embarrassed that you actually give a crap about hits to your gay blog. it really is just a blog. and hits really dont mean anything. you want Site Meter, though, to see who is linking you so you can thank them and so you can link them back. similarilly, use Technorati, but dont obsess. write.
17. people like pictures. use them. save them to your own server. or use Blogger's free service. if you dont know how to do it, learn. also get a Buzznet account. several things will happen once you start blogging, one of them is you will learn new things. thats a good thing.
18. before you hit Save as Draft or Publish Post, select all and copy your masterpiece. you are using a computer and the internet, shit can happen. no need to lose a good post.
19. push the envelope in what youre writing about and how youre saying it. be more and more honest. get to the root of things. start at the root of things and get deeper. dig. think out loud. keep typing. keep going. eventually you'll find a little treasure chest. every time you blog this can happen if you let it.
20. change your style. mimic people. write beautiful lies. dream in public. kiss and tell. finger and tell. cry scream fight sing fuck and dont be afraid to be funny. the easiest thing to do is whine when you write. dont be lazy. audblog at least once a week.
21. write open letters. make lists. call people out on their bullshit. lead by example. invent and reinvent yourself. start by writing about what happened to you today. for example today i told a hot girl how wonderfully hot she is.
22. when in doubt review something. theres not enough reviews on blogs. review a movie you just saw, a tv show, a cd, a kiss you just got, a restaurant, a hike you just took, anything.
23. constantly write about the town that you live in.
24. out yourself. tell your secrets. you can always delete them later.
25. dont use your real name. dont write about your work unless you dont care about getting fired.
26. dont be afraid to come across as an asswipe. own your asswipeness.
27. nobody likes poems. dont put your poems on your blog. not even if theyre incredible. especially if theyre incredible. odds are theyre not incredible. bad poems are funny sometimes though, so fine, put your dumb poems on there. whatever.
28. tell us about your friends.
29. dont apologize about not blogging. nobody cares. just start blogging again.
30. read tons of blogs and leave nice comments.
if you're going to ripoff/mimic/be inspired by one blogger make it raymi, shes perfect.
scatalogical build up
The good and bad blend to make a normal human. You look at me and see a saint, the girl that catches me looking at her tits thinks I'm sinner. I'm not really either, I oscilate betweeen all poles, never going too far in any direction.
Sometimes it's "Fuck it all give me naked women, drugs, booze and smokes... pleasure to stop the brain" then it's "meditation, gym and clean living". For the record I had smokes on Sunday... loved 'em now I have to give em up again.
I read a great little blog on how to blog... point number 4 was to note let anyone who knows you know where your blog is so you can blog without fear of retribution..... I stuffed that one up.
Friday, August 26, 2005
warning *boring post*
At least the weekend is almost here and I can relax a bit. There are no plans but I’m sure something will eventuate.
I can feel the urge to cut lose and get stupid coming on……
What I need are some tips on making life a bit more exciting. I'm seeing a pattern here. My blog is becoming a whinge fest... screw it that's how I'm feeling right this second.
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Quote for the day
"A ship in port is safe, but that is not what ships are built for. Sail out to sea and do new things."
-- Rear Admiral Dr. Grace Murray HopperEvil brain defeated
Just a little updte
The shit that goes on in my head isn't different from the people I see around me every day. I have a few peccadillos to keep it interesting. Everyone has things that go on in their heads. I've tried to focus on the steps to getting around them. There has been some success with it, but it doens't make for interesting reading. Staying within the bounds of the goals that I've set makes me feel good but it doesn't really float my boat (in the excitement sort of way). It makes me feel good but leaves no interesting stories.... so I'm just going to have to make things up.
The gallery shots didn't turn out. Not a single shot. My budding phtography career has been cut short. I was hoping that they would be good enough to display (and there were some corkers in the shots) but now I have nothing to give the gallery people. Without a flash even well lit rooms won't come up on 400 iso film. There might be some really powerful photography lights you can use but lots of normal domestic lights won't cut it. It was worth a shot (no pun intended). I'm still learning how to use the super sampler (the controls are simple but the effects vary dramatically). Already i want to get another camera...the Holga camera with color falsh and a few other nifty features. Most people are tellign me I should focus on the sampler and my nifty digital..... but the Holga is so nice.
Friday, August 19, 2005
The experiment
It started with getting my dive licence. My wife was off visiting her home land and a friend of mine dragged me out to do something that I have wanted to do since I was about 10 years old. My PADI certification gave me a buzz for a few weeks. The next thing I stumbled upon was 43things.com. I set myself some goals that I had fooled around with over the last few years (unsuccessfully). This kicked off the experiment.
Hypotheses:
1 Clean living will improve the quality of my life
2 I can have fun within the bounds of acceptable normal/moral behaviour.
3 I can alter my reality and make it what I want
The Experiment:
This blog, my new found internet life and my drive towards all things good and pure are part of the experiment. I am the test subject, the poor bunny getting cosmetics rubbed into it's eyes.
1 Stopping smoking and regular exercise are key to the clean living goals. The move from heavy drinking, heavy smoking party boy to non-smoking, medium drinking party boy
2 Life can be driven by lust and the urge to wipe ones self out whenever the opportunity presents itself. Life appears to be really boring without these distractions. The goal is to build up my life outside of these activites so they become less important to me. I'm also engaging in regular meditation to keep me on a more even keel.
3 Reality is limited by what you believe it to be. I was in danger of going to work, going home, watching tv, going to sleep, repeat. Weekend comes then drink, drink, drink, smoke, smoke, smoke. The plan is to step outside of my normal activites and seek out new things to do.
The results:
1 Up... down.... up.... down..... it's all a bit much. The smoking roller coaster is the worst part. I have more energy, too much energy in fact. In a flash this energy can convert to anger and quick as a flash turn back into enthusiasm for life. Today is Friday and I'm thinking there may be some smoking on the weekend. My evil brain is already coming up with reasons to start.
2 I'm doing the Lomography and blogging which has been great fun. All moral and acceptable but i keep wanting to put an interesting edge in there.... some nude lomography work sounds interesting. All I need to do now is get my articles published ;-)
3 I've shattered my old routine, which has been fantastic. I am feeling more satisfied with my life. The draw back is the quest for more seems to be on the increase. I'm looking for more outlets....
Could my quest to do and be more be the source of mental disquiet?
Thursday, August 18, 2005
saw it liked it and stole it
What comes first, lust or liking, and what lasts longest, passion or commitment? And who are we, anyway? Are we the accountants of deed in the counting house of memory? Are we the actuaries of our own desire?
what a waste of time
Everything is a waste of time when you think about it….. doesn’t stop me from doing things though… doing things makes me feel so much better about life.
How I meditate.
My Meditation technique comes from a book called “Hard core ZEN” – Brad Warner. I found this an excellent guide for zen in general.
At the end of the day it involves just sitting. I set a timer for 15 minutes (so I don’t need to think about it), face a featureless wall and sit up straight, “with your vertibrae one on top of the other”.... eyes open look straight ahead then just watch your thoughtsfloat by… don’t play with them or explore them or even try to stop them..let em drift by… after ten minutes they will slow down and eventually stop all together (no rush if they don’t).
Brad could probably point out what I missed but this is how I do it.
This update is for Dru (I’m in a training course right now so I don’t have his blog address- sorry dude)
http://www.43things.com/person/Dru2
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
meditation sessions - how it goes for me
Just do it
Is this an early mid life crisis/rebirth?
I'm feeling alive now. Lungs clearing, oxygen reaching brain, all systems working.
I've been given a new lease on life through artistic endeavors. Already opportunities are opening up for me. I've started lomoing my life and getting a bit creative. The blogs, meditation and gym are all systems go. The writing is the only thing that has suffered. Blogs and photography have taken over my spare time. Far from being a supplementary to the writing, blogging has become the primary writing outlet.
Time for a new writing plan. The goal is to produce two articles for two separate publications. I have seven days to complete my mission starting today. If my mission is not complete then my written words will be limited to the bloggosphere where the world can continue to ignore them as it sees fit.
I have my first photo journalist mission. on Friday I'm to take photos at a gallery opening ... no money is changing hands, no formal location for the photos to be published but, if they are good enough they may use them at the gallery…. wohoo
Without missions I become really bored and listless. Work and TV is not enough to sustain anyone! Don't be fooled
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
I'm not a 'joiner' but now I have a blog and an art movement
I now count myself as a lomographer. No not pornographer.. a l.o.m.o.g.r.a.p.h.e.r.
I've set up my lomohome, made a nifty carry case for my little supersampler and have already started snapping slices of my life. Unlike digital tho there is the processing time, then sacnning but I'm finding it more fun than digital. You need to let go of the outcome when you take the shot.... the camera doesn't even have a view finder so who knows what the snaps are of. Sounds dodgy and old school but it is fun. I've signed up and I'll be undertaking missions.... I've even converted one snap to a minimovie.
Give me a few days and I should have some more stuff up there. I now have space to put up my lomo bits for other lomographers... I'm chuffed .
My lomo home is at www.lomohomes.com/uncledoo visit it in a few weeks when there is more stuff up there!
Monday, August 15, 2005
My first lomo on the web
I didn't want to put up any photos of friends unless I get their permission first, so I thought I would put up one of me. I think this little camera will be come my new best friend. The good thing is even if the shots are crap they still look good. I have one photo of a shadow on a lawn bowling green and it looks good ;-)
At least it's some thing to stop me chewing my arms off when the cravings for smokes hits.
Dream job #7 - Pro Surfer
What is not to like about this one. You travel the world and visit the best beaches. You get to do something that you love. It keeps you fit and tanned. You get to be a member of the surfing comunity and pretty much hang out with like minded people all day.
As an added bonus a great pick up line... 'Hi, I'm a pro surfer'. That has to start some interesting conversations
Two steps forward then one step back.
It got me thinking about people who are trapped in negative thoughts as part of their 'normal' thinking. It's not really something that you can think or talk your way out of. Being stuck in a grey world all the tiem would be depressing.
How much of our little world is trapped by routine thoughts. How many doors are closed through no other reason but habit? For me it is a constant battle of fantasy vs reality.... there are people on both sides of the fence shouting that I can have it all (or that I have nothing). Is the glass half full or half empty?
I make a call as I see it when I see it, for me there is no other way. This may lead to bad decisions at times but at least the option is there for random events to occur.
At least there is no time limit on all the things I'm trying to do with my life. Yes we die, but there is nothing that I **need** to do before I die. I have now to play with and so that is what I intend to do, play as much as I can. in short I'll just chill the F*** out.
If anyone out there thinks they know a way of having your cake and eating it too let me know.
Friday, August 12, 2005
The counter is gone.... that feels so much better
Back at the start I outlined why I was blogging and getting large numbers of people wasn't part of that plan.
You see I had started to become a number junky. How many people stopped in became more important than what I was putting down.
The trouble with counters is people could be hitting the next button and drift through lots of blogs before they hit one they want to read. I've been past 10 and only read one of them today. If someone does like my blog and then RSSs me, it doesn't show in the hit counter anyway.
I'm off that emotional roller coaster now.... I took out the code and my page loads faster now. My blog is there, it's out there and that is all that matters..... except the comments I like the comments.
Thursday, August 11, 2005
bloody mind, where has it gone now?
This is not to say that I won’t continue to set goals for myself. It’s the doing of the goals I’ll focus on, not the outcome. I will still do things to satisfy my wants and needs, it’s the thoughts around those desires I can’t fill that I don’t want to dwell on.
The short version, I’m going to take it easy and enjoy what I have right now.
If this sounds a bit like Buddhist thought you’re right I feel a great affinity with this line of living.... putting it into practice is a little harder.
All this typing is somewhere in my past, the reading is in your present and the future is... well I’ve got no friggin idea where it is.
Have Fun
How to be aware of your life.
Is it bad to have unrealistic daydreams... I'm always thinking of how to make my life better. I keep looking for a little more of this or a little more of that.... if I could just do this or that, then my life would be perfect.
Thinking like that is a complete waste of time and energy.
I've decided to try a little experiment. When by brain is off floating around I'm not going to dwell on the past or scheme into the future (pleasant day dreams I'll keep up). I'm gonna look at what I can do now or think purely for enjoyment (not with a goal).
The only trouble with this plan is when something interesting appears my brain runs around like an excited puppy and is off the lead before i can say 'boo'. Someone makes an offhanded comment about me and I'll end up thinking about it for a few hours.
I'm going to start the experiment now.... oh look a bright shiny thing
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
My Lomo Camera
A group of friends pooled their money and got me the lomo Super Sampler for my Birthday. If you have never seen one of these babies they rock..... This picutre is a from their website, just to give you an idea of what it does... I can't post my prictures until the shots are developed. This camera rocks!!!!!
The digital camera has spoilt me... waiting to see the photos and use using up the film takes me back to my youth where you would develop a film a few months after the party....no instant memories here ;-)
Monday, August 08, 2005
Post card # 3
I'll Keep in contact
All my love
XX
It's all a bit hazy
There were fantastic people around me. I'm really lucky to have such amazing friends. I often don't give them credit for it, but they are great people.
After events like these I always feel like I have pushed the envelope too far. I had a great time (apparently I kept repeating that it was the best Birthday ever). The recovery day after always leaves me feeling a little hollow. The sensible little voice in my head is always saying you shouldn't have done this or done that. I could strangle that voice some times. I drank too much and smoked too much (I'm once again back on the non-smoking wagon.... big nights and self control don't really match very well ;-). The brain still isn't in gear yet, it's just chasing it's tail around and around... no gems for the blog today.
Thursday, August 04, 2005
ideal job #6 - Book reviewer
This job sounds like a really good deal. You are given a book, you lie in a hammock until you read it, churn out a few hundred words and move onto the next book. Combine this with movie reviewer and I might earn enough to live off. Any job that can be done from a hammock rates high in my list of ideal jobs... I've even got my own hammock (if anyone is looking for a book reviewer).
Birthday tomorrow
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
now who believes in sea monsters
Ideal Job #5 - Deep Sea Explorer
There is no fixed job title for this one. Be it oceanographer, marine biologist, cartographer or treasure hunter I want a little sub that can go really deep. Apparently there is only one functional deep ocean submersable. These little babies are extremely expensive to build and operate. I want to go looking for live Giant Squid and get footage of a sperm whale eating giant squid. For me it is one of the last great frontiers on earth. Finding a way to stay at depth for a long period of time would be great. You get to explore and work with amazing bits of equipment and you wil see things that noone has seen before.....that would be cool. The Trieste went to 7 miles in the 1960's. I can see myself posing for a shot on my little sub.
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
postcard 2
Mindless Secretive Tuesday
I never saw myself as someone who had any secrets. I thought I was pretty much a straightforward kind of guy. Now that I knew she had some secrets I was more interested in what she had to say.
Everyone has secrets and my secret was the collection of other peoples secrets. I never really thought about why I was so interested in what everyone else did when no one was watching. Everyone has their own secrets… for some it is their sexual history, for others it is what they think about. It is interesting how much power people’s secrets hold.
You could even say that people have their lives ruled by their secrets. Every relationship in life can be derailed by secrets. Friendship is about trust… when you get drunk and tell someone a secret you have a friend… If someone tells you their secret you often tell them yours… the internet is full of sites about secrets.
They say that addicts need to confess their secrets to enable them to join humanity again. It’s like the AA process.
Trust is such a slippery term really. There are people that I trust but wouldn’t tell them my secrets
There are guilty secrets, secrets about how you feel and how you’re expected to be. I’ve often think about what other people do when no one is watching them.
People see themselves in light of their own secrets, to others they may appear to be together and have their shit in a pile but in their own minds they are a mess.
Monday, August 01, 2005
Postcard 1
So this is where I'm at
Personal responsibility, appropriate living is a fine balance. For me I can keep to the straight and narrow for a week , could be two but I eventually fall into some sort of binge activity be it drink, smokes or other. I like the idea of healthy living but at the same time the reality just doesn’t stimulate me. It’s like writing. The idea appeals, I want to do it but I seem to just scribble a bit then stop and move onto another topic. The novel is stalled at around 20 000 words and the rest doesn’t come. In my mind I have the ideas but the will and commitment leave me wanting. Writing is something I’ve always wanted to do but I have this dream linked to success. Success means making a living out of it, but it also requires a leap of faith which I haven’t undertaken to date. It is a fight with my sense of self at the end of the day. I think I’m 22, free to do as I please but in reality I’m 32, married with mortgage and doubtful of my capabilities. Am I grasping at a half imagined future of a younger me or should I accept that my life is not heading in that direction and get on with the life I have? If I’m true to form it will be a half assed go hard attitude for a week before the grind of daily living gets to me and I revert to a tv watching, computer game head.
The topics I want to cover include sex, adventure, nostalgic pasts where everyone flies planes, survivalist horror or dark futures. My efforts seem to oscillate between the tragically weird and the already done. What I need to write is a sexy, nostalgic future with survivalist horror elements that shatters the nostalgic future into a darker future. Easy. The only trouble is that each added element will take from the others if I’m not careful. Who wants their dreams turned to dust, but if I could find the thread to tie it together it just might work. Does this mean novel take 3 or short stores that satisfy my needs.
Ideal Job #4 - Myth Busters
Spiegeltent
Saturday night was Spiegeltent night at Southbank. It's an amazing venue to see bands in. Really decadent 1920's vibe. I kept imagining burlesque shows, Nazis, spies.... the torch singer is really a member of the resistance..... then the air raid sirens sound.
The place looked amazing. Deep red velvet roof, booths with gold carousel poles and mirrors everywhere. There was a sprung dance floor and a really intimate feeling to the whole thing. Combine that with some thumpin base and groovers all over the dance floor it was a good night out. Soma Rasa went off!
I went nuts, I haven't danced that hard in ages.