danceoff of teh year.

so for the last two months or so, i've been having a love affair with this lily allen.

and for the last year or so, i've been having a love affair with this milkcrate.

so, when my favorite British pop star and my favorite quasi-underground clothing line get together and have a love affair, the end product being a deliciously delicious music video, i get very happy. it's a weird fuckin' video, i won't deny that. but i cant stop laughing at it. and i want lily allen to spoon me. since she's taller than me, and all.

but enjoy the fun. and can someone tell me if that's piss?

links:
lilyallenmusic.com
milkcratenyc.com (peep the blog)



edit: so i've watched the seven seconds of the video where the chick with the fade gets to work about 30 times in the last five minutes. not only do i know realize that this beat is going to be stuck in my head while i sleep and wake up, but i think it has brought ben to the brink of insanity.)

Seen in NYC, Probably Months Ago.

two street art posts in a row. i'm getting lazy. at least there's two posts in a row. yay.

Duece Seven

click it.

Maybe I'll just sit here and bleed at you.

The word noir just confuses people. it does. it's one of those words that graduate students will throw at you when they can't think of anything else to say. that's the main reason i've avoided film noir flicks; i know it's basically a fancy detective story. but the word noir makes me want to throw kittens off a roof.

taking that into consideration-- you need to watch Brick, one of the most fascinating films i have ever seen. long story short, it's a film noir set in a high school. i don't want to reveal to many plot points, so i'll simply state that it's the story of a kid, Brendan, whose searching for his ex-girlfriend.

i don't know if i'll watch more noir because of this movie. i don't even think that's what makes the story so compelling. but these kids in the story are kids, playing an adult's part. and you don't question their motives, maturity, or honesty throughout the whole story.

i could rant and rave about this picture all day. but, long story short: a stand-up job by everyone involved in this picture. just watch it, and let me know how right i am.

<$3

Our Country Today, Not Our Country Tomorrow

(i know; i've been gone again. no more promises, just more work. anyway, i'm taking an class on oppinion writing, so i figured there's no better place for these than right here. so, even if i forget to update everything else, you'll continuously see these jammies, probably every week. kloveyoubye!)

This Tuesday, both political parties in our country announced the potential candidates for the 2008 presidential election. So far, four Democrats (Senator Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut, John Edwards, former senator from North Carolina, Tom Vilsack, former governor of Iowa, and Representative of Ohio) have officially announced their intentions to run, while only one Republican (Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas) did the same. Many more hopefuls for both parties (including powerhouses Barack Obama, Hilly Clinton, Rudy Giuliani, and John McCain) have established “exploratory committees” designed to begin fundraising and raise interest for their potential campaigns.

America: we’re getting ahead of ourselves.

The past six years have been eventual and, in some cases, disappointing. After the 2004 elections, it began to seem as if Americans had grown tired of our current presidential regime. For months now, we’ve seen campaign analysts pushing Obama down our throats, while having theoretical debates about who is generating more strength in polls about an election that is twenty-one months away.

Shouldn’t be begin listening about today instead of planning for the distant tomorrow? Like it or not, the man is in charge for another three years. Americans have decided to ignore the developments of our campaign in Iraq, and simply ask, “Why are we still there?” It comes to no surprise that the biggest complaint about President Bush’s new strategy for the conflict is the increased amount of troops. We should be more concerned about “what for?,” instead of “why?”

President Bush’s State of The Union Address involved more of his domestic agenda than our foreign plans. These are issues we are tending to ignore nowadays. He has made big promises to truly change course on issues such as healthcare and education, topics that affect far more Americans than a war a hemisphere away.

It’s time to pay attention to our country’s reality in January 2007 before we begin dreaming about January 2009 with candidates that haven’t even committed to running for presidency.

balloon-popping fun.

i just went out for my lunch break, thinking i could take a nice little walk to barnes & noble, and then eat a hot dog at the zoo. sounded like a nice afternoon. right? right?

oh, yeah. the week after christmas. infestation week. (and in case you didn't know, i work on 5th and 52nd. perfect.)

for a few minutes, your typical new yorker will ignore these annoying heards of people, but when you have to wait at a corner while the traffic light changes from red to greenthree times, you tend to get a little aggrivated about a fifteen-foot walk that ends up taking ten minutes.

so, tourists, i understand: this is your vacation, this is your big chance to look at gigantic fucking trees and eat overpriced salads. you plan this all year. you want to shop in overpriced stores for clothes you either can't afforf, or own three of already. you want to look at "the greatest city on earth" at night, its skycrapers lit up as people work overtime and it's high-end stores brightly decorated for the season. i get it. you love this place.

but, you need to understand: this is my fucking lunch hour. this is the only hour, out of 12, where i get to do whatever i please. i want to go pick up a book to read on my hour and a half commute back home. i want to shop from deli to deli to find an underpriced salad. i want to take a train to chinatown and get knock-off rolexes and mixtapes. i want to walk accross the street when i want, instead of having to walk next to a barrier because one of you was too stupid to judge the speed of a taxi years ago.

us new yorkers have a reputation for being rude. that's great. we probably are. but if someone stood in front of you every five minutes to take a picture of a building, if someone burned your arm with a cigarette butt trying to squeeze into a cliche toy store, if someone told you they couldn't count (yes, all NYC blocks are numbers. if you're looking at sixth avenue, and you're trying to get to fifth, shouldn't you subtract one and walk to the left? is that tough?) four times over, if a three-year-old spit up on your deisel shoes, all in a matter of five minutes, while you were just trying to smoke a cigarette and get back to work, i'm pretty sure you'd be rude to.

maybe we're not rude. maybe you're the rude ones. or maybe you're all just fucking retarted. you want to shop? go to fuckin' ebay. you'll save on shipping. you're ruining my birthplace. so, please,

Lord, Give Me Grace

so, i'm a either a terrible blogger, or a terrible fan.

either way, the bloc party album leaked about a month ago. i gave it one run-through before deciding that i'd wait 'til it came out. i think it's going to suprise alot of people, and not nessicarily in a good way.

i posted the lyrics to the first single, "the prayer", about a month ago. i heard the song then, and loved it. every bloc party song is danceable, even the ballads, so it's really nice to listen to them talk about it.

either way, i tend to ramble. here's the video. the single could be purchased from recordstore.co.uk here for £7. i haven't found a US store that's preselling either the single or the album, but as soon as i find out, i'll let you know.

Under the GrnApple Tree (ya know, like the reggae song)

i know, i need to focus more. sorry, again. but, i hope everyone had as terrific and nostalgic holiday season as i had.

i'm sort of emotional today (like that's unusual), and was going to give sort of a pre-"State of the Narra" address today. however, any rambling i feel obliged to do can wait 'til then. i'm going to act in the now for the next few days. unfortunately, now is surrounded by a bunch of legal binders and document production files. yay, fulbright!

anyway, since i'm a huge t-shirt and hoodie addict, i've kind of been kicking myself in the ass for not blogging about clothes yet. today, though, I stumbled across one of the most absurdly fresh things i've ever seen.



GrnApple Tree has been on the scene for a minute now, and their last series of hoodies have sold like hotcakes. (think LRG, minus the commercialism.) Above is the "Ornate" hoodie, chair, and beg set. yes, that's right. Not only can you pick up one of the hottest-selling hoodies of the year (the only one i can think of that had a bigger buzz was 10 Deep's "Chain Gang" jump-off), but you can get MATCHING FURNITURE. i'm sorry. i have absolutely nothing to say about this, besides this is the dopest fucking idea i've ever heard of. imagine if BAPE started doing shit like that? i mean, is this even a logical purchase? maybe not. but holy dope.

there's only about four or five pieces worldwide, so act fast. i think.

LINKAGE: @ DIGITAL GRAVEL

Artist of the Week

So, since i'm in art school, and do greatly appreciate a good astetic, i've decided that i'm going to start posting a new artist profile once a week. it might be a photographer, it might be a poet, it might be a goddamn juggler. all i can say is that i promise you, once a week, i'll declare someone artist of the week.

so, the first work i'd like to exhibit is a video from Emma Haskins, Laura Spencer, and Brooke Sahlstrom. this video is made solely of still-frames, over 2,000 of them in all. unfortunately, much of the quality has been lost due to converting the movie to a AVI. Still, it's worth checking out.

Alot of Surrealist work involves a bunch of ranbling, but i'll let this talk for itself. trust me, it does.

Pictures from The Empty Show

Sorry that it's been so long since i've posted anything, guys. With finals week finally coming to a close, i'll have more time on my hands and i'll be able to update this fun 'lil piece.

This is a picture from The Empty Show in Melbourne. I honestly have no idea what the show was about, but i figured this was so bad-ass that i had to show it off.

more pics here

Wooster on Spring St.

in case you don't know, the mighty fine people at wooster collective have been working intensly on making the biggest piece of collaborated street art we've seen in quite some time. they've somehow been commishioned to do a bit of work at 11 Spring St. in SoHo. since the website hasn't released many details about what's going on, the only thing i can tell you about the project is that if you're in the city in the second week of December, you best be checkin' the website, because i imagine something glorious is about to happen.

for the time being, get down to spring street and check what's going on. just don't bring your camera. because i need to get there first, ya know?

Fuck Mr. Metcho

well, not really, at all. but, since he hates this place, and i love this song, and i bought the hat that might cost me my life because of the song, he can suck a duck.

the prayer

Lord give me grace and dancing feet
And the power to impress
Lord give me grace and dancing feet
Let me outshine them all

Is it so wrong to crave recognition?
Second best, runner-up
Is it so wrong to want rewarding?
To want more than is given to you?
Than is given to you

Tonight make me unstoppable
And I will charm, I will slice
I will dazzle them with my wit
Tonight make me unstoppable
And I will charm, I will slice
I will dazzle, I will outshine them all

Standing on the packed dance floor
Our bodies thrown in time
Silent on the weekdays
Tonight I claim what's mine

Is it so wrong…

Tonight make me unstoppable…

Tonight make me unstoppable…

oh, lord.

so, senior project.

i've spent the last three days staring at page 34 of my novella, and i can't get a damn thing done. i don't know why, either. i've set up a really interesting world with a really interesting character, and i know exactly what i want to do and how i want to do it, but something's just not clicking. can't really figure it out.

not going to lie: a lot of people have read it, and i don't mean writers, i mean people, have read it, and so far, i've gotten really good reviews. my mother and my father have both passed it on to family members and friends, and people seem to be raving about it. all of the acclaim should probably be making my head grow (and in some ways, it is. if ordinary readers are enjoying it, i do realize it's probably publishable), but it's doing the opposite, in fact; i'm petrified. and i don't know why. now, a bunch of people have these expectations, and i'm worried that i won't fulfill them.

in reality, i know it's a mute point, because this is an issue i typically deal with and, once i relax, can overcome. but, considering i have a deadline to meet at some point this week, i really need to find a way to get over it.

i did, however, just see that there's a freshman here working on National Novel Writing Month, and she has written about 7,000 words of fantasy work that i imagine to be terrible. considering that i 1) hate being shown up, 2) want to kill all the freshmen at my school, 3) despise fantasy writing, and 4) am the fucking man, seeing that she might catch up to me might be enough of a kick in the ass to get me working.

anyway, back to Hagherman, Colorado.

like giving birth

December 22nd, 2002. I was in my senior year of high school. I had only been driving a car for two months. I couldn't legally buy a pack of cigarettes, let alone a beer. That was the last time it happened. That is, until today.

Until today.

December 22nd, 2002. It was the first year of Project Chad, the second year of The Edwards Regime. After a depressing loss to the lowly Bears, the New York Jets went into to Foxboro, Massachuessetts and defeated the defending-champion Patriots, 30-17, keeping their playoff dreams alive in the process. Pennington threw for 285 yards and three touchdowns. They would end up making the playoffs, defeating Payton Manning's Colts 41-0 in the Wild Card Round only to get pummelled by the Raiders the next week.

As a Jet fan, I still big expectations for the franchise, though. With a solid new quarterback, a dependable coach, and a slew of new draft picks, the sky was the limit.

Or so it seemed. In the next few years, the front office let a bunch of key players leave, Herm Edwards proved he couldn't tell time, and Chad Pennington's spaghetti-like shoulder ligaments took a worse beating than Tina Turner. While this happened, Bill Belichick led his homo-erotic looking quarterback and rival Patriots to two more Super Bowl victory.

December 22nd, 2002. That was the last time the New York Jets had beaten the New England Patriots, the poster boys of the NFL. It was also the last time the Patriots had lost consecutive games.

That is, until today.



17-14. The Jets beat the Patriots today, 17-14, for the first time in four years. Even going into the half with a 7-6 lead, it felt too good to be true. It wasn't until after a 34-yard Mike Nugent field goal in the fourth quarter that it felt like a game the Jets could win, but once I realized that a win was attainable, I began to have mild seizures. When Pennington hooked up with Jerricho Cotchery in the back of the endzone to give the Jets a 17-6 lead, it still felt too good to be true. The Patriots retailiated with a 4 play, 64 yard drive that ended in a touchdown and a two-point conversation.

But, on the final drive of the game, 46 yards away from the endzone, Shawn Ellis sacked Tom Brady, forcing him to fuble the ball and let the clock expire.



And, that was it. The Jets had won, improving their record to 5-4, with a relatively light scheduele ahead of them. The Patriots fall to 6-3, and hold a single game lead over the Jets in the AFC East.

That means, the Jets can win the division for the first time since 2002.

After four years of question marks, mirery, and heartbreak, this win is extremely important for the Jets. In their first season under new Head Coach Eric Mangini, the Jets have proven they can do a lot with a little. Their record is somewhat misleading, considering there are absolutely no real stars on the team. Mangini has convinced a group of sub-par players that they are alot better than they actually are, and it has left them playing the best football Jet fans have seen in years.



For myself, this is a huge day. This is the best feeling I've had after a win since the 2002 playoff victory. This team is promising, and intimidating. After spending the last year in New England, being surronded by their ignorant fans, I feel like I've won the lotto. And I can glow, as brightly as I want today. Oh man. After watching a Patriot organization that continues to get better and better every year, even after losing so many key players, it's so satisfying. I haven't been so proud to be a Jet fan in my entire life. So, please, humor me, and scream the phrase below.

J-E-T-S!
JETS!!!!
JETS!!!!
JETS!!!!

just like we used to do every wednesday

Hungry?

Abe back in the streets

courtesy Streetsy.

"It's my birthday; I'm forty-one today!"

I promise, this will be the last time I offer such a long-winded complaint on the subject, but how about that New York City clubscene, huh? I won't lie and say that i'm some sort of old-timer or original, but come on. When i was going to Vinyl every week, at least I'd meet some original people who were there for the music (OK, well, some went for the drugs, but, i mean, it was a juice bar. can you blame them?). Nowadays, it seems as if there's only two types of people you run into.

1. Button-Down Crowd: These are the people you run into more often than not, especially during peak-hours. They, obviously, are wearing cheap button-down shirts and cheaper jeans, and can be found at tables with bottle service, hitting on every girl in the joint.
2. Super-Kewl-Club-Kids: The same topless, tanned, bandana'ed fools who hog circles, doing the same step over and over again. Usually tweaking, found mostly during after-hours.

I can't really knock any of these people, but what's so strange about trying to be original? I mean, I know my history: the scene was founded by people who didn't fit in anywhere else, ecclectic people who took pride in being different. Nowadays, it's carbon copies everywhere, all of them in discount Paper, Denim, and Cloth. It's slightly heartbreaking. I wonder if anyone is even listening to the music anymore.

Anyway, here's the cute little video that spawned this rant.