Hi-ho Silver died this weekend. He was only ten.
The thing about Hi-ho Silver was that he really tried. He barely had a first gear, his gas gauge was always completely incorrect and he couldn't handle in the snow worth a damn, but this little guy fuckin' tried.
He was a good car, all "Escort" puns aside.
He taught like, 4 people how to drive stick.
He hauled ass through traffic, getting me to work, school, or any engagement mostly on time.
He had a weird 6 CD changer in the back, and I never really understood why.
He's gotten more people home safely than I'll ever be able to count. (At one point complete with decorated ceiling for their viewing pleasure.)
He went to the East coast, he made it Chicago, perilously, multiple times. He went to the UP and he dreamed of going West - to Texas, perhaps even beyond.
He displayed his appreciation for mewithoutYou, Haste the Day, WCBN radio, at one point, August Burns Red, love through sacrifice, and, towards the end, the Ugly Mug Cafe.
There are a lot of people who will miss him, if I do say so myself.
Silver, son, you'll make a damn fine parking lot ornament.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Monday, August 04, 2008
"People talk about my image. . .
...Like I come in two dimensions,
Like lipstick is a sign of my declining mind,
Like what I happen to be wearing is my new statement..."
I am of the growing impression that social networking devices on the internet are bringing me into a two-dimensional existence.
According to the internet, I am a successful (albeit unreviewed) actress, a quirky puppeteer, a "social butterfly," a slightly cynical but witty commentator who loves her friends, and have many other attributes about which one could conclude after sifting through snapshots, greetings to friends, self-descriptions, or just by looking me up on a search engine .
Well, now everyone knows me!
Or. . . do they?! Is this who I am!??
This is the thought plaguing me at the moment.
It's only really disconcerting when I compare these facts about myself with similar facts I've learned about others.
The internet has made me new friends and reconnected me with people I would otherwise have lost touch with, and I thank it for that.
However, the internet has replaced a genuinely human - three-dimensional, if you will - element of acquaintance. All the "necessary" information about practically everyone I know (favorite books, movies, quotes, what they did last weekend) exists in their "About Me" sections, or their most recent photo uploads.
By existing so openly on the internet, am I damaging my real life?
By putting so much stock into the persona of others portrayed on the internet, am I missing out on getting to know people tangibly?
I rarely ask my acquaintances what they have been up to, whom they are seeing, where they are attending school or working because I get unsolicited updates regularly in the form of "feeds" or uploaded photos very regularly.
While writing this I've been thinking of a certain friend of mine who avoids these social networking bull-shit-holes all together. I enjoy the company of this friend significantly because I always feel as though it is completely genuine. We see each other, we appreciate espresso at the same time, I can immediately see his reaction to my witticisms - such as they are without an hour of editing; comedic timing's not exactly my thing. This "three-dimensional" friendship is entirely refreshing.
And no, I'm not going to lie to you and say that updates on my friends aren't convenient. They're lovely; I love seeing what they've been up to.
I just wish it all seemed more. . . real
And in addition, I wish that I could be more real to them.
So perhaps in some sort of half-assed conclusion I should simply assert that I will henceforth appreciate the opportunities I have to interact in person, and set far less stock in the information derived from my triflings among the wires of the World Wide Web.
A weak conclusion? Maybe.
A comforting solution? I hope so.
(And yes, I do realize how rediculous it is to have blogged about problems with socializing on the internet. I do.)
Like lipstick is a sign of my declining mind,
Like what I happen to be wearing is my new statement..."
I am of the growing impression that social networking devices on the internet are bringing me into a two-dimensional existence.
According to the internet, I am a successful (albeit unreviewed) actress, a quirky puppeteer, a "social butterfly," a slightly cynical but witty commentator who loves her friends, and have many other attributes about which one could conclude after sifting through snapshots, greetings to friends, self-descriptions, or just by looking me up on a search engine .
Well, now everyone knows me!
Or. . . do they?! Is this who I am!??
This is the thought plaguing me at the moment.
It's only really disconcerting when I compare these facts about myself with similar facts I've learned about others.
The internet has made me new friends and reconnected me with people I would otherwise have lost touch with, and I thank it for that.
However, the internet has replaced a genuinely human - three-dimensional, if you will - element of acquaintance. All the "necessary" information about practically everyone I know (favorite books, movies, quotes, what they did last weekend) exists in their "About Me" sections, or their most recent photo uploads.
By existing so openly on the internet, am I damaging my real life?
By putting so much stock into the persona of others portrayed on the internet, am I missing out on getting to know people tangibly?
I rarely ask my acquaintances what they have been up to, whom they are seeing, where they are attending school or working because I get unsolicited updates regularly in the form of "feeds" or uploaded photos very regularly.
While writing this I've been thinking of a certain friend of mine who avoids these social networking bull-shit-holes all together. I enjoy the company of this friend significantly because I always feel as though it is completely genuine. We see each other, we appreciate espresso at the same time, I can immediately see his reaction to my witticisms - such as they are without an hour of editing; comedic timing's not exactly my thing. This "three-dimensional" friendship is entirely refreshing.
And no, I'm not going to lie to you and say that updates on my friends aren't convenient. They're lovely; I love seeing what they've been up to.
I just wish it all seemed more. . . real
And in addition, I wish that I could be more real to them.
So perhaps in some sort of half-assed conclusion I should simply assert that I will henceforth appreciate the opportunities I have to interact in person, and set far less stock in the information derived from my triflings among the wires of the World Wide Web.
A weak conclusion? Maybe.
A comforting solution? I hope so.
(And yes, I do realize how rediculous it is to have blogged about problems with socializing on the internet. I do.)
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