bicyclemark

Et puis ?a

Yesterday’s cliffhanger about dinner with Texan students actually concluded swimmingly. I found that they handled indonesian food with healthy curiosity, i guess they appreciate good eatin’. There were in fact no political debates, and I’ll admit I was seeking to avoid them if they weren’t necessary. At some point I mentioned Condi Rice, but when I did it I put my napkin in front of my mouth and I was leaning close to the one guy who was actually from NY state. We were discussing her academic career for whatever reason, I thought it was ironic that in a group of non-northeasterners with one exception, I spend most of the evening talking to the exception. He was in fact an immigrant, so we understood each other right away. (thats how it works with me) I even recommended that he take his upcoming date to my favorite eclectic restaurant that serves up a mean veggie couscous.

How did the evening’s conversation carry on, you might wonder. Well, in fact I do have something in common with texans. I guess most of the world has this now: an encyclopedic knowledge of Seinfeld and the need to quote it verbatim. Annoying? Not to me. Though if I heard a recording of the evening I’d probably kick my own ass.

My most lovely and dynamic dinner company asked me one of those “make you think later” questions tonight. We were polishing off a big plate of Ethiopian… fingers sticky from all the alecha scooped with scraps of injera, when she asked “what do you think you’ll be doing.. five years from now.” Classic no? But I hadn’t thought about it in a while. My answer?: Finished with my PHD and looking for a teaching gig somewhere interesting. Of course always keeping my home base as the ‘dam.

What I forgot to mention? Raising chitlens, riding in my own faux tour de france, and starting my world-wide bicyclemark speaking tour. Which in fact has already begun, details demain. Hooray for podcasting sunday.

Today’s Sounds: RFI – La Radio du Monde

The Stars at Night

*clap-clap-clap-clap* Deep in the heaaaaaart of Texas.

I ain’t never been to texas, and I’m aware that some of my readers are located there (howdy)but I admit I’m fretting my dinner with a group of young University youngins from some prominent school in that state. They’ve been on a study-visit to the u of amsterdam and this here fishtank of mine. I got a heads up that they had never before left the country and were potentially quite conservative, so I tried to tread lightly and let them figure out the world for themselves during their time out here. Last thing they need is a heathen like me telling them whats up. I must admit I was really shocked when they almost unanimously stated they had voted for GWB. The truth is, you just never run into such a large group of “them” in this town. (note my new stereotype.. you’re either with us or against “them” )

But tonight I’m slated to be at dinner with them; free food and some good potential conversation, healthy debate is good too. RocknRoll Aim will be there will me, I’ve renamed her that bytheway. Together we’ve promised ourselves to embrace the impending conversations about legislating morality and the rule of gawd, which apparently has been all the rage during their visit.

Its probably better to go to dinner with what’s left of my open mind, so I’ll stop talkin smack now. Besides, i already found my ice-breaker, the whole lot seems interested in Fantasy Basketball, and I can just keep joking about my crap team in the busblog league. I’m currently in dead last, if you’re curious. Long story and a boring one, but basically my puerto rican wonder is getting traded and my philly hero is walking wounded. Wow, I sound like a guy.

I listened to so many podcasts in the last 24 hours, putting in extra time in the ‘tank. One of the neatest was Contentious, who podcasted from a cabin in the mountains of Colorado. You get to hear the sounds of her cabin, including her putting another log on the fire, and her plans to grow old in a rocking chair with a shotgun in her lap; in case the gubment comes around. I’m recognizing my favorite uses for podcasting (audioblogging) hearing sounds of places I’ve never been or just simply am curious about. Trouble is, where the hell do I get a cheap hosting plan with lots of space for mp3’s – Liberated Syn?

ps- I brought the Beef yesterday, and as a vegetarian, I think I did a good job.

Today’s Sounds: Tracks up a Tree Podcast, latest podcast.

Unexpected Awesome

Italian girls sit outside the fishtank. I can hear them. I love it. I can understand Italian, but I don’t think you really need to- in order to love these classic beauties and the sounds they bounce around the room. Back in NJ University days, Me and E used to talk about the ladies, and there was a certain type of girl we’d sometimes meet in our day-to-day that we loved. As roommates we’d gossip about the day, and occasionally he’d say “I met one today bm! She was amazing.” And I’d answer knowingly, jealous of his encounter: “A classic-Italian beauty?” Beaming.. he’d shout “LIKE A PAINTING!”.. even though we were sitting across from each other. Sometimes he’d go on about it: “Nothing to do with this bullshit on TV… or in magazines.. no man… like one of those Italian paintings will those gorgeous voluptuous beings.”

E was a wise man. And listening to actual Italian beauties chatting just over there from where Im sitting… I might have to tell them I’m in love with both of them. According to my sources, if they’re from Napoli they will pick me and carry me home to have their way with me. Wouldn’t that be terrible?

I absolutely did not expect to see Finding Neverland last night. I knew nothing about it. I don’t read entertainment news and I seldom read movie reviews. I did remember that my friend theStateImin-Brian mentioned it way back, but I didn’t really understand his love for it at the time. But good god.. I was floored. I was sweating in my seat, probably much to the discomfort of my date. Not out of fear.. just pure emotion. Crying would not be enough for the film… I just wanted to disappear or I dunno… go to NEVERLAND. The following thoughts flowed through my brain:

– I hate the fact that I’m so often a serious adult.

– Why the F can’t I fly.

– I need to hang out more with children.

– Amsterdam doesn’t have enough kids… I need to make some.

– Dam this couple to my right is gettin it on.

I’m due at the Torontienne’s for dinner. But not before I mention, because the Midnight Mailman said to tell my friends, he’s got an all new video for us.

Today’s Sounds: Sounds of the Fishtank – mostly keyboard strokes and italian girlies.

Resist

I had THE STARS blasting on my landlord’s stereo system gizmo, the homemade pizza with extra fresh pepper and eggplant was in the oven, standing in the hallway in shorts and a tshirt, playing darts like a true amsterdamer, and after hitting double twenty twice, I thought to myself “Dam, these are good times.”

Cause we look back don’t we? We think about times, in the past, when we were somewhere or doing something and were pretty close to blissfully happy.. and we think DAM – that was as good as it gets. I wish I could go back to THAT point. Especially when, well, adult life gets monotonous or boring or saddening or.. well, all of that.

And I’m not tryin to show anyone up or gloat, but I have to share… it feels GOOD. I love this town more than any town I’ve ever loved before, and believe me, I’ve loved many. Don’t tell my baby Lisbon, my darling Marseille, or even my old friend NYC… those old gals would kill me if they knew I’m in bed with another.

I’ll drop this little love note now, but one thing I wanted to add before i end it, is that it’s sweet – cause it ain’t temporary. I don’t have to RETURN HOME or hand in my papers and say goodnight sweetheart. Nope. This is my life… not just a phase or a “thing” .. MY three-ring circus and I’m diggin it.

After having said all that, I feel like I should share something warm and fun with you, so from the world of social software, and via that most excellent edu-blog Weblogg-ed.. I present to you: 43 Things. If you use Flickr for photos (and you should get into Flickr cause it rocks in other ways than Buzznet)… it looks even nicer. But nevermind that… 43 things is a list of things you want to do in life. And it uses tags to show you who else wants to do them and why. Have fun.. write crazy insane gibberish, and see who’s just as looney.

Today’s Sounds: Off the Wall (yesterdays show) on WBAI NYC

My Brainpan

I was told yesterday by my darling in Portland that my brainpan is full. Not quite full… but definitely spilling everywhere.

I was going on and on about weblogging, photoblogging, and podcasting as rebellious communication, which it is. In different forms. I get so bored whenever I hear someone dismissing what we who publish any type of media on the internet do, as shallow or marginal. Over four million of us, and that’s not including the readers, and somehow we’re all teenagers talking about who fucked who? PLease. We do much more than that, and moreover, whatever it is we write about – even the teen stories, we are indeed rebels. Because what we’re are doing, to some degree, is saying no to the traditional powers. We don’t need your magazine to publish an article. We won’t go crazy to get a spot on your radiostation (traditional or cable)in order to reach a mass audience. And we don’t need a gallery or some fancy pants publication to recognize us as photographers. We are photographers if we want to be.

One of my toubles with doing research into these ideas, is that so-called experts(usually the older tenured kind who know fuck-all about this stuff) will point and say “oh that bicyclemark, he’s nothing but an advocate… with all his cheering and ra-ra, his arguements are tainted. So be it. Tainted love baby.

The hardest thing is that I want to connect all this fun and sharing of experiences/information to greater world problems. YES – Promoting World Peace Thru Internet Publishing and Social Software. Shhh… I know it’s getting a bit past the basic needs that aren’t being met.

Look at this video and the story that goes with it. Just another example of how dirty-grey this Iraq occupation is. How can you put up a banner that says “we support our troops” when you see the business they’re in. Not one fucntioning building left in Fallujah. In order to save the country.. they have to destroy it. In order to bring freedom they have to restrict everything. In order to bring peace, they make war. 1984.. 2005.. doesn’t matter. Except that the world should know better by now.

Oh I know. You’ve got family or friends there. Me too. But I won’t support their work. Just because your pop works in a missile factory doesn’t mean you gotta support the concept of launching missiles at anyone.

Today’s Sounds: Death Cab – Transatlanticism

For the Censors

Before I could even start writing this thinger tonight, 54 came on Dutch public television. You know.. the one with Mike Meyers. I had never seen it. I thought it was going to be that boogie nights movie and I figured I should watch so I can finally understand what the big deal was about the wang scene. That’s right… its late night and bicyclemark was looking for wang. Quote that doggy.

So in fact it was from the point of view of some bartender from studio 54… and I felt what made the movie was Mike Meyers. Dam he rocked. I think all the Austin Powers movies messed him up, kinda like when the Clash discovered synthesizers. And while I despise and cannot afford nocturnal club culture, I thought it was a sweet story. Especially Ron Jeremy’s cameo. Oh and I find myself rooting for the Jersey characters… even that Neve.

I bet mentioning a porn star or even the word wang gets me banned on certain corporate/organizational firewalls. Both Brain of J and my bro BigdaddyJ have mentioned the troubles of work firewalls and how blogs like the busblog or xtx are considered too smutty. Talk about fascism and censorship… you should rise up and rebel! Can you imagine this in the hayday of organized labor? The headline would read “Workers at GM and Ford plants stage sit-in over smut on the net.” And the cops would probably come and crush some skulls… but by god.. there would be access to naughty stuff and new computers to boot. (or boot up)

And if that doesn’t inspire you, they mapped the world again. This time better. Australasia looks nice. Plus if you’re playing risk, it’s a good place to start.. cause you just building up and.. well..

You know who made my evening? Asia Kennan the supa-cool Deconstructionist. She gave me good tunes and taught me how to be down with Portland ways. Now I know the lingo when I head that way; and I’ll be prepared with my own nag champa and phish cd’s when I swing by Eugene. She also gave me a new idea:personal podcasts… hmmm.

Today’s Sounds: Lali Puna – Tridecoder (lovin it… but they don’t know it in Portugal)