Saturday, July 20, 2002
In Burnaby BC with Karli. Just drove back from downtown Vancouver and passed a store whose sign read: One Stop XXX. Great! I'm tired of having to drive all over town, store to store to store to satisfy all my XXX needs.
Jim Parisi
Same shit. Different building. This is what I think I hate most about big business and globalization. The subsequent destruction of anything and everything unique. The lack of choice that comes from having too many consumer choices. In every city I visit, regardless of how mundane or exotic, the same twelve stores. How many new ways can we configure a building to house a Gap? Or a Body Shop? Or a Macy's? Or a Virgin Records Superstore? Same shit different building. If it keeps getting worse, I'm gonna move to Peru.
Jim Parisi
Friday, July 19, 2002
Recently a twelve year old kid in Pakistan was charged with the crime of trying to date outside his social circle. This is apparently a serious crime in rural Pakistan. The town council found him guilty, and as punishment, they ordered the boy's sister to be gang raped by four men from the town. This is a story from Newsweek. This happened. Stories like that make me sad I wasn't born into a more honorable and sophisticated species of life on this planet, say, like a mosquito. Then I think a good outbreak Ebola in the region just might solve a whole lot of problems. And I hate to feel like that. More importantly, I am terrified of just how fertile the soil is in those dark corners of our souls that let the seeds of fear and intolerance germinate into a culture of vengeance, of violence, and of opression. Guess what kids? I know we don't like to talk about this, but entire human cultures can be considered bad when measured on the spreadsheet of life. These cultures can take the form of political regimes, business organizations, philosophical movements, AND (and I know this is not politically correct), religions. Regardless of the source, they are cancers of humanity. Any belief system, any social system, any economic system that allows fundamentalism, tribalism, any form of political/social/religious ideology to triumph over our humanity is an evil thing.
Jim Parisi
Wednesday, July 17, 2002
20 Gig iPod! Now with PC support (so all those Windows goobers can quit their bitchin)! And touch sensitive scroll wheels! Right on! I have the original 5 gig iPod for Macs. I might have to get myself a new one! Comparing a standard mp3 player to an iPod is like comparing a BMW M5 to bicycle. With no tires. Think about it. All your music, in a box the size of a deck of cards. 10 hour battery. Never having to listen to that crap they play at the gym again. Never getting bothered on an airplane again. Right on.
Jim Parisi
I'm Willie f***in Nelson. Off to San Francisco tomorrow. Then five days with Karli in BC. My company has an office about five minutes from her house - very convenient. Then back to San Francisco for two days. Then to Seattle for three. I'm not looking forward to being away from my house for more than a week. But I can't wait to see Karli. My old boss actually donated an old, unused iBook (tangerine if you must know) to me so I can get her online. By the way, Thanks Warren! I owe you one. Karli doesn't have a computer, so now with her new old Mac, she can read all these posts that I use to blab about her. Maybe with a little web cam magic it won't seem like we are so far away. Or maybe it will just make me want to see her more. Either way, the ability to IM is definitely gonna cut down on my phone bill.
Jim Parisi
Tuesday, July 16, 2002
My roommates never throw out their grocery bags. And not just my current roommates. All my roommates since I have had roommates. And every house I visit seems to have a collection of old paper grocery bags between the wall and the fridge and a whole cabinet filled with densely compressed plastic baggies. Why? What in the hell is that compulsion to horde grocery bags? Sure, occasionally, you have a need. I might use one or two a month. Does this mean I need a ten year supply refreshed weekly with a new batch of ten brand new bags? Are we expecting a worldwide bagie shortage? Don't tell me it's an environmental issue, cause if it was, we would use cloth. I don't get it. Look, either buys some cloth sacks, or toss the baggies. This has been Jimbo's good housekeeping suggestion for the week.
Jim Parisi
WooooooHooooooo! It's a good day for ears everywhere. Busted Stuff is in the stores and in my CD player.
Jim Parisi
Monday, July 15, 2002
I have been feeling uninspired lately. Nothing fun to blog about. Can't seem to get moving on some of my stories. I have lots of good ideas, but every time I sit down to write, I can't get the story to gel. And I have fun stuff to write about too. My mother convinced I was gay (there's a fun one), getting rescued off a cliff in Maui (thanks Ranger Mark), things that really piss me off (that should be cathartic), that weekend with the chimp, the dwarf, and the twins from Sweeden (maybe I should keep that to myself). Regardless or my good intentions, my output has been less than impressive. I've been in a creative slump. I think I need some chemical inspiration. The breakfast of champions for would be artists everywhere: Nicotine, coffee, and alcohol. And poverty. Can't forget poverty. Sadly, I don't partake in any of that crap, so my artisitic output has hit a low for the year. I can't believe my last post was actually about White Lion. Jeez. I really HAVE hit rock bottom. I need some literary adrenaline. Ugh. Even this post is depressing me. Then again, depression is also a killer motivator for artistic inspiration. Probably not tonight. I need to sleep.
Jim Parisi
