Watch the whole ending. Thank me later.
Monthly Archives: May 2008
Living for the weekend
Sitting on a bar patio Friday night, feeling the cooling evening breeze soothing my sunburned skin while being surrounded by friends I haven’t seen in a while, I felt a lifting sensation. I looked around, trying to pinpoint what was going on. And then I realized it was happening internally. As my soul lifted, a smile came from inside, and I felt truly happy.
Yes, it’s totally hokey. But the sun coming out of hiding was the catalyst I was waiting for – this shifting mood, the sensation of heat spreading across my skin, this low buzz in the air – it’s really the stuff I live for.
While the sun has gone back into hiding, this weekend should be as awesome. It’s Dylan’s birthday on Sunday, which is also the day of the d.iscontent show at the Baltic Room. So all you Seattle people sticking around for the holiday weekend should come to the show. I’ll be busy playing label photographer, but I’ll totally give you a high-five for coming out.
Things I have learned this week…
1. Indecency laws are not only vague and archaic, but confusing in what others consider ‘patently offensive’.
2. Getting a proper pair of running pants does wonders to ones self-esteem. In that you don’t have to worry about people look at your sweaty body and any evidence that may be showing…er…through.
3. I need more sleep, lest I get grouchy.
4. Coordinating schedules of three musicians and three full-time UW students is impossible.
5. My political beliefs and needs are best represented by soft power. Cultural exchanges FTW.
6. Immigration detention centers are not only privately-owned, but they also have no regulations. So, no food, no medical care? Sorry buddy, should’ve thought about that before deciding to legally immigrate to the US of A. What, we promised you due process? Well, sheeeeet.
Okay kids, back off to fight the good battle (get through the next few weeks of lecture). Then summer break! Then Denmark! I can SO do this.
Super, super awesome
Go ahead, click the link. I’ll wait here.
No really, go follow the link. Just make sure you come back.
Okay, now you may be asking why I made you go to Amazon.com. See that book cover? Go ahead, look at it again. On that cover is one of my photographs. So, if you put two and two together, that means I got paid for my photography. Rad, right?
This is the original, taken while I was in Paris last year.
I guess my photo blog finally paid off. Oh, special thanks to the VIP’s who helped me get an invoice together and figure out license agreements in a rush. You people are my rock.
May Day March
The sun started to shine in the most amazing way yesterday afternoon as a group of us weaved down a path to a park in the Central District acting as the beginning point in the 4 mile march. The group I traveled with, partly composed of my compatriots heading to Denmark and the other being a Queer rights group on campus, made it to the grass field at Judkins Park and I started to take it all in: the signs, the families, the smiles, the speeches.
Once the march started, I was surprised by the cheering supports from the side. I saw people from all kinds of groups – Asian rights, Human Rights advocates, and even the Women in Black. It was inspiring to see such a large group of people from different backgrounds coming together to support immigrant and labor rights.
As we weaved through downtown I started to pay attention to the nation branding going on around me. We’re currently studying the American brand in my Political Science/Communications class, and I was fascinated by how the different countries were being marketed during the march. Ranging from Mexican, American, and El Salvadorian, (and one sole Che flag) flags to the handwritten signs being used, it all was all contributing to these imagined places. I started to grapple with these images and what they communicate about the countries. What does it mean to be Mexican? What does it mean to be American?
Outside of some newspaper photographers along the route, there was very little media on the ground. There were several news helicopters following us, but I saw only one television camera interviewing people on the ground. The station was Univision, of course. This realization left me evaluating the media story converging with the marketing story – sure, you can have a diverse, engaged, and mobilized group of people marching for equal rights, but if no one cares about the message (and only cares about their interrupted evening commute) is it effective? And if the media keeps a hand-off approach – leading to no message transmission – what is the point? What does this lack of ground coverage imply about the media?
I have decided to push these cynical thoughts to the backburner. I enjoyed celebrating at Seattle Center, watching the Aztecan dancers, smiling at the kids, and basking in the sun. I’d like to think that solidarity and support of the march can only lead to good, and if nothing else I spent the afternoon with some awesome people, being engaged, and taking a nice stroll through downtown Seattle. I suppose that is what being a citizen is all about, right?
Inspired
The most challenging, rewarding class I’ve taken in a long time is “Media, Society, and Political Identity”. We’ve been grappling with issues I’ve been mulling over for years, and it’s been both challenging and frustrating to encounter differing opinions and reading academic literature dealing with how changes in the media have shifted global politics. But my intention is not to advertise for the class. This video might convince you in ways that I cannot…
Yup, my classmates did it. Whereas my group failed pretty miserably with the video assignment (which was to create a video with a political message – thats it), these people really made it something exciting and inspiring. If you do like it, go to the YouTube page and vote for it. They get some extra credit, which I feel is totally deserved.