I've always avoided being swept up into any unnatural obsession with the lives of celebrities. Individuals that have been deemed important by the media for the pointless acts they do. The way we put a twist on uninteresting news just because it's where the social demand is.
When the cast of Jersey Shore gets more attention than philosophical leaders, there has to be something wrong with society. It looks like borderline worship when you compare ourselves with civilizations before us. If we were drawing hieroglyphics on the walls of our structures, they would be littered with hashtags, pointless banter, and etched-in shirtless broskis.
"I don't always wear a shirt, but when I do I make sure the collar's popable."
... But then Eddie went and got himself a Twitter. No, I'm not conforming to a lifestyle fueled by the lifestyles of others. Actually for a while now I've been tracking the online movement and sharing of my work in order to master the art of self-marketing in order to attract more job opportunities and networking. And turns out a few strangers were tossing around my remixes and videos on Twitter. I feel as if that's a huge act of kindness towards what I'm trying to do. Sure, I know their intention wasn't to help advertise my stuff. They were most likely just making an attempt at pleasing their own horde of followers they've forcefully amassed on Twitter, but still it's means a lot to me.
So I finally jumped on the bandwagon. But "with great power comes great responsibility": A rule which has much relevance to Twitter. Twitter can be used as a tremendous marketing tool for those who are willing to put a little thought into their posts. Not those who just want to inform the world about that bucket of ice cream they just inhaled while watching Netflix.
Why not go the whole nine yards?
Whether it be for your business or your own benefit, you can follow the trends of today with positive intentions for your future. Just be smart about it. But if people want to focus their lives on those who are irrelevant to their own, then so be it. If what Diddy had for lunch satisfies your inner needs as a human, then maybe creating a pseudo-social life on Twitter is for the best. Hell, maybe you should even retweet it.
Oh, and follow me at @EddieBaldasaro so you can hear what I've had for lunch as well. #IBitchTooMuch
TODAY'S TASTY TRACK
Spose "Pop Song" Do it or go down in flames Back to Maine you can beg moose for spare change
Well, it's that special day of the year again. That day where you gloat about your significant other who you were able to somehow successfully capture. Or, depending on your recent experience as a single individual, today's the day you pull the Grinch card and complain about the consumerism and wishy-washy feel of this pointless holiday without using the word "jealous".
And me being the avid social networking cadet that I am gives me more reasons to rant. Because every single post I see on Facebook concerning Valentine's Day can fit into either of those two categories. And I'm sure the same goes for Twitter, Google+, and all those other sites that interesting people use to spew the news of their interesting lives (I include myself in this criticism).
But to understand my views on this day of segregation, we must dive into the history of Eddie Baldasaro: He's been in-and-out of various relationships since the 7th grade, but he's never taken a girl out on a Valentine's date. In fact, he's had a girlfriend on every other holiday except this strange one. Maybe it's because he's always been in the wrong place at the wrong time or maybe he just didn't feel that special spirit once that fateful day approached. Whatever the reason was, every year he'd still proclaim February as his most hated month due to the miserable weather, mob of hopeless romantics, and all that "Valentine's bullshit".
Then in 2012, at the tender age of 22-years-old, he went and got himself a girlfriend. A girlfriend who has never been on a Valentine's date as well. Now they are both conquering this milestone together by buying each other adorable gifts and going out to a romantic dinner.
Now Eddie's become a hypocrite. The epitome of everything he's hated: That "smug fart knocker" who rings the doorbell with flowers, chocolates, and a conniving smirk in tow. So I've had to come to a realization to deal with this type of revelation: Why did I even give a shit in the first place?
Why do we put so much negative energy into this pseudo-holiday? Sure I'm still not a big fan of the whole "feed-the-big-business-by-feeding-the-insecurities-of-the-consumer" aspect of it, but that feeling goes hand-in-hand with being a communications major. I'm suppose to be critical of the obvious (as well as the subliminal) marketing within the media. But looking back at myself, I feel like I've been a jealous, little dirt mongrel when really it was just wasted energy. I ended up spending way too much time throwing fits about how happy these pink-obsessed people were for having someone else to go out with while I sat home on my beanbag chair, eating Cheeto's and watching Dexter's Laboratory.
It didn't help
I was jealous, and I'm a bit ashamed of it. But the first step to Valentine's Day recovery is acceptance, and I've completely accepted the fact that I've been a jealous man. Now the second step is a little harder. People need to learn and demonstrate the natural human ability of ignorance in a positive manner. Because people don't realize how easy it is to just ignore the countless posts from their cutesy-wutesy acquaintances. Ignorance is an ability most people usually only use on ideas of relevance that shouldn't be ignored... such as but not limited to potentially brewing wars, the real motives of presidential candidates, and what we're actually eating from the supermarkets.
Oops, my mind ventured away from the subject at hand a bit there. Let's just cut to the chase and get to the moral of the story.
People, start using your pent up ignorance for good so that you can mask the irrelevant issues and complaints that your mind and the social world around you has created. Ultimately, you need to accept people's lives and turn your head away from the unfamiliar yet harmless. It's as simple as that. Negatively dwelling on aspects of those who don't affect you will only separate yourself even more from being the ultimate happy camper that you can be. This isn't even just a lesson for Valentine's Day. It's a lesson on life.
Much love and Happy Valentine's Day.
TODAY'S TASTY TRACK
K'naan (Feat. Nelly Furtado) "Is Anybody Out There?"
When you're insecure about yourself
It's a fact
You can point a finger
But there's three pointing back
I can see her crying out, yeah
Is there anybody out there?
Man, do I need a little relocation in my life. I've slipped into that zone where every work day feels like the last. When you can't distinguish what you completed Monday from what you accomplished Thursday. That point when you start to lose your creative sense because you no longer have any interest in what you're creating.
I've come to the conclusion that I cannot be a video editor. Sure, it can be great fun as a hobby but planting my tuckus in a seat for hours on end shutting myself off from the world through a pair of headphones and creative software just manipulates the mind.
"Tuckus"... I bet you haven't heard that word in a while.
There's been periods within the office where I'll be completely involved with whatever I'm working on, focusing on every little detail that's on both of my screens, and then suddenly someone will walk in asking me for something irrelevant to whatever I'm doing and my mind will just shut down. I'll try to converse with this individual and I come off sounding out of my mind because my mind's been in a different place for the last few hours and is not prepped for chitchat.
Thankfully, I have some goals and objectives on the back burner that can occupy my brain for the time being. Of course these change by the minute. Remember how I said in an earlier post how I was dead set on moving to California and making an attempt at dominating that land of creative opposition? And I might have even stated at one point that New York City was increasingly becoming a possibility. Well now it's looking like Florida could be the destination.
But now the move is being pushed back until September. And for good reason. Because no matter what, I'd like to experience another Summer in Maine. It's such a splendiferous time. Spending the Summer of '11 around Portland and Old Orchard Beach was without a doubt the best Summer I've ever had. So I'd like another crack at the scene. A last hurrah if you will before I finally make that big move, wherever in the world it may be. I just want to accomplish that relocation before I get too locked up in the scene. This usually ends with that final breaking point where I suddenly become motivated by someone who has no business motivating me and end up in North Dakota or something.
Yup... the Dakota without Rushmore... that one.
But this post might become irrelevant in a month or so. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if it changed within the week. My life and goals alter with the wind so it's really tough for me to establish concrete plans. But until then, I'll still be here in Maine. Even if my mind is elsewhere.
TODAY'S TASTY TRACK Cake "Mustache Man" Launching loony thoughts into the bending of your mind You reach for something high but it's a mountain that you find He's a king dust demon with an icepick smile His music fills your feathers as you feel your passions fly
I posted an entry into this blog a few days ago that I purposely censored to draw attention to the controversial Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA). Sure, it wasn’t remotely close to the ones done by Google and Wikipedia, but it was the least I could do.
Because there’s a massive web war brewing like no other and more people need to become informed. But now that politicians are realizing how dangerous SOPA and PIPA are to themselves and their reelections due to the massive protest made by internet-dwelling citizens, government and their aligned corporations are finding other ways to silence piracy until they can clean up these bills so that they’re more acceptable.
The first attack took place immediately. After realizing that the fight was going to be tougher than they originally expected, the government went and shut down the popular file-sharing website Megaupload.com without any preliminary trial. Then they seized an additional 18 domain names and made multiple arrests to employees of the company.
Revenge didn’t take long as soon the online hacktivism group, Anonymous, went on a spree of attacks to web sites associated with the war against piracy. They were successful in temporarily shutting down or slowing these sites:
· Justice.gov
· UniversalMusic.com
· RIAA.org
· MPAA.org
· Copyright.gov
· Hadopi.fr
· WMG.com
· USDOJ.gov
· BMI.com
· FBI.gov
In what could be the greatest war cry ever, Anonymous proclaimed, "We Anonymous are launching our largest attack ever on government and music industry sites. Lulz."
I can only see this battlefield worsening. With lines being drawn and sides being chosen, there is no clear answer to this dilemma. Corporations and politicians who are pro-censorship must deal with the massive amount of customer outcry and eventual withdrawal that could fall into their lap if they fight for this cause. Which explains why so much of this SOPA/PIPA support has accumulated behind closed doors.
It'll be interesting to see where this goes and who will stand up/sit down. It may even determine the future president of the United States due to how passionate most citizens are about this issue.
TODAY'S TASTY TRACK Shiny Toy Guns "Major Tom"
4, 3, 2, 1
Earth below us
drifting, falling.
Floating weightless
calling, calling home
How many of you can remember wandering around the catacombs of your local Blockbuster in search of that perfect movie rental? You arrived with the intention of fulfilling your otherwise boring night but ended up with another VHS box with Julia Roberts on the cover.
Well, our daily lives have gone through plenty of changes since those video dark ages, but it seems as if our troubles have remained the same. As now we aimlessly browse the massive Netflix library in search of a streaming surprise. A library that seems overly-crowded with unwanted footage, but in actuality has plenty of hidden gems that are sitting around waiting to be discovered by nightly chair-ridden rascals like yourself.
That’s where I come in. Time for…
EDDIE’S FLIX PIX THAT YOU PROBABLY WON'T WATCH BUT IF YOU DO, YOU MOST LIKELY WOULDN’T HAVE WATCHED IF HE DIDN’T POST SOMETHING ABOUT IT
Note to self: shorten the title next time you do this segment. Anyways, here’s 3 Eddie-approved movies for you to chose from. So you can watch something immediately without having to waste any additional time clawing through Suggestions.
SLC Punk
One of my personal favorites despite it being an acquired taste. It’s about an intelligent young punk rocker who's trying to live life with his anarchist beliefs while residing in the Salt Lake City, which is littered with other conflicting social groups. The storyline is fun but also incredibly moving so it has something for everyone. Oh, and a young Jason Segel's in it
IP Man
What's this movie you ask? Oh nothing much, just the best kung-fu film EVER. It centers around the life of one of Bruce Lee's masters, Ip Man, who struggles to support his family during World War 2 while the Japanese are breathing down his people's neck. Great storyline, great acting, and awesome fight scenes. And the best part: The sequel is also on Netflix AND is just as delicious. Get at it.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
I can't believe how many people haven't seen this movie. It follows an awkward guy who erases his own memory of a sporadic ex-girlfriend after she does the same to him. In my opinion, it's Jim Carrey's only non-over-the-top-comedic-role that matters. And Charlie Kaufman's (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation) unique, awkward writing style is the icing on the cake.
So there you go. Looks like you have some work to do. Put your schoolwork aside and let your boss know you're coming in late. Because there's movies to be watched. Hell, I'll even get you started with a clip from Ip Man:
The greatest fight scene ever
TODAY'S TASTY TRACK Fujia & Miyagi "Collarbone"
Got to get a new pair of shoes
to kick it with her, not kick it with you
I’m going to start the New Year off by talking about the old. And by old, I mean David Lee Roth and Van Halen.
You think David Lee Roth reuniting with Van Halen to produce their first album together in 27 years would feature an epic first single, but instead we get a song about tramp stamps called "Tattoo". I understand the whole “First we must release something catchy to get the audience’s attention” mindset, but c’mon, give yourselves a little more credit. Because no one wants to see old dudes talking about sexy housewives with tattoos. Let's save that kind of stuff for aging R&B artists like Usher.
Now let’s jump to the production aspects of this video. Who produced this thing? Getting your 20-year-old son to play bass in your legendary, Rock Hall of Fame band is one thing, but it looks like Eddie Van Halen even convinced grandma Halen and the rest of the family to videotape the music video. There are shots unintentionally out of focus, awkward camera angles, and an obvious lack of shutter speed knowledge with the strobe light sequences. And I wouldn’t be surprised if the reason the video is in black and white is because the individuals on camera forgot to white balance their equipment.
Let’s be honest, most of the budget for this was most likely spent on the balloons and confetti… which was put into reverse along with ½ the other shots just because they thought it looked cool… alright it does kinda look cool, BUT STILL.
And speaking of Van Halen family members, someone needs to tell Eddie’s son, Wolfgang, to actually look the part. He sticks out like a sore thumb. At least put on a pair of big sunglasses or grow some manly facial hair to hide your “I definitely didn’t work hard to get here” look.
...Or both?
Otherwise, I’m still curious to see what new stuff they’ve come up with, but I wouldn’t be able to take a whole album of this. Van Halen's never been one of my favorite bands but I’ve always loved their older stuff like “Runnin’ with the Devil” and their rendition of The Kinks’ “You Really Got Me”. Not so much the jumping around in spandex MTV days. And please give me another guitar-melting “Eruption”-esque song just so I can shut up… please?
TODAY’S TASTY TRACK
Lyrics Born
“Bad Dreams”
Got burnt by women, poor dirts in Venice
Landlords and tenants, got served by creditors
We have a deep passion
We can't keep dwelling on problems
Wow, I've really fallen off the blog-train haven't I? Funny thing is, I don't really have an excuse. Sure, the month of December has been a pretty busy one for me as I've started focusing on the design for my work's YouTube channel and future website, but I've just gotten back from a 5 day Christmas vacation where I did primarily nothing. I spent more time jumping around aimlessly as dictated by Xbox Kinect than I did doing any creative writing. Hey, at least Eddie received a workout.
Anyways, let's get to the point of this post: How superb 2011 really was. Without a doubt, 2011 has been the greatest year of my life. I've taken more steps forward professionally than I ever thought possible coming out of college and I've consistently been around some amazing people. Every workday pushed me even further and every weekend was an adventure. And how could I forget the fact that my last semester at the University of New England was spent with some of the most incredible people I know? Hell, I'd say that partaking in senior week with you schmucks rivals any other week throughout my life if I could actually remember what we were up to.
Oops, I'm suppose to keep this blog professional aren't I? Eh whatever, how can you maintain a blog if you can't be yourself? That's what made 2011 so great. I had all the room in the world to be myself at work, in class, and with friends. And I loved every second of it. Sure, I had to deal with a fair share of problems along the way, but I wouldn't be writing this post if I hadn't. Problems are nothing but motivation. And motivation is what has led to great times and an overall amazing year.
This really encourages me to find out what 2012 has in store for everyone. It's funny because I remember telling myself the same thing as 2010 came to a close. "Such an amazing year, but it can only get better." And it has. So I'm going into the new year with a positive attitude and high expectations. Because as of now, I have no idea where I'll be physically and mentally come next December... and I love it. Unpredictability is bliss.
So happy New Years to the 4 and a half of you reading this post. And of course everyone else apart of my life. You're all great.
TODAY'S TASTY TRACK RapScallions "California Brain"
It's been a long time comin'
Gonna get what I need
Got my sights set high
and I'm pickin up speed
Come inside
Free your mind
You will find
Your California Brain
