Jun 30, 2008

Human stupidity knows no bounds.

As if the practice of "texting" alone wasn't annoying enough.

This is different from some brainless teenager wandering into an area he shouldn't be to retrieve his ballcap and having his head taken off by a speeding rollercoaster. People do this texting while driving shit all the time, so it's no freak accident. If constantly "reaching out" is so important to these consummate texters and their precious little digital social networks stocked full of imbeciles who are equally as embarrassing to mankind, then reach out and jerk me off.

Jun 27, 2008

No, really, it's free. Promise.

The way things have been going in the world in recent years (read: downhill like a roadblock boulder on a sled), people feel they have countless excuses to feel miserable and depressed. Most people can't afford to drive as much, fly as much, or eat out as much. The American Dream, it seems, is quickly becoming a nightmare.

Adjusting to changing economic conditions is a pain, isn't it? When people are forced to cut back significantly just to survive, they often rather uselessly long for the old days when things were cheaper and they could live more extravagantly. They wish their neighborhoods are still as safe as they used to be. They feel a dread sense of emptiness wash over them when they realize they won't be able to finance a trip to Orlando next winter and will have to involve SPAM in a home-cooked dinner at least three nights a week. They will be tied to their jobs year-round, providing they're lucky and won't have their jobs slashed. And once they can no longer cover it up with evening trips to elaborate restaurants, annual vacations to overrated tourist destinations, and drives across the city to the biggest mall in the country for excessive shopping sprees, many of them will begin to realize just how superficial and empty their lives were in the first place, because it mostly revolved around money.

My life is much less about money and materialism, and I think that's why higher gas prices, more expensive seats on flights, and a suffering housing market doesn't really get me down much. I admit that I am fortunate in my circumstances, being a young bachelor living in a magnificent tropical wonderland of rainbows and waterfalls. I'm hardly immune from many of the economy's problems, but I feel as if I'm somewhere on the edge of it rather than inundated in the middle of it. I feel the creature comfort of being able to dash off into the rainforest or the mountains and leave it all behind at any time, if only temporarily, is vital for me at this point. If it wasn't for my profound spiritual connection with Mother Earth, and the love in my heart transferred to and fro the other beloved hearts of my friends and family, I would probably be one with the miserable masses. What else is there to live for? Oh yeah, all the simple pleasures that can make each day unique... and don't require a dime.

Jun 23, 2008

Entering World 4-1

I'm surprised just how cool my apartment keeps, even throughout an overly warm and humid summer afternoon (this afternoon was the first time since I moved in a week ago that I've seen the sun shine in Hilo). I know having a large floor fan right near my bed and dual ceiling fans helps, but I think it's more so the fact that the main living area where I sleep has some bunker-like qualities. It's halfway below ground, and it has a very cool tile floor. It's nice to have it so cool and comfortable without A/C. I imagine the upstairs is quite a bit warmer, though. There's no mystery behind our coyote friends digging their dens below ground in the desert. Comfortably cool and dark is how we like it.

Went out and explored a hedge maze in the moonlight last night. It was kind of lame, though, since the hedge is only about four feet tall, so I wasn't actually surprised by any dead ends. I guess it could have been a blast for kids, midgets, and things that don't stand tall on two feet. I wish we had a maze like the one from The Shining, or something out of Starfox Adventures to explore. Still, it was a wonderfully serene little stroll through the rain forest. Surrounded by abundant life and plants so cartoonishly large I felt like I was touring World 4 from Super Mario Brothers 3, thick vines wrapping their fingers around everything they could get a grasp on, and amidst it all, a gently cascading mountain stream.

Also took a drive up the road from where I live... a narrow, winding paved road that ascends up the hills, traversing lush gulches and narrow wooden bridges into beautiful lush countryside. Only a few residences are scattered about up there, ranging from modern palaces to humble (putting it kindly) squatter shacks teetering on the edges of cliffs with blue tarps compensating for rotted out walls. The road seems to twist and turn up the mountain forever before it turns to gravel... then just keeps on going. There's a small church and a pleasant little park with a pavilion way up there. With everything covered in a veil of mist and sweeping grassy knolls amongst large patches of forest, the whole area reminded me of something out of Ireland rather than Hawaii. There are all kinds of side roads leading off into the woods and rugged trails heading toward small secluded swimming holes. Not much traffic on the main road, either. What a sensational place that would be to bring a mountain bike, day or night. Flying back down would be even more fun than climbing up. Can hardly wait to restore mine to working order.

Here are a few shots I took of my place and the surrounding neighborhood: http://timberwolf.smugmug.com/gallery/5205705_qtTJk

Jun 18, 2008

Will it ever be found again?

I got into the rainforest late Tuesday afternoon. Drove just a few short miles out of town, parked alongside an old scenic route, and followed a muddy trail down into a deeply forested gulch which eventually terminated at the rugged shore of the roaring ocean. I can leave it all behind here and immerse myself in raw, wild nature as easily as where I moved from, and that must be one of the many reasons I treasure this place so. As there was of course no one around I felt free to be a naturist as I wandered about the lush foliage and took a dip in a cool cascading stream. The waves rolled in to meet its mouth, mixing in slightly warmer salt water. All that could be heard was the tranquil clamoring of the sea amidst the relentless birdsong in the heavy canopy above.

When I noticed a couple of ancient automobile carcasses dumped over the side of the cliff and overrun by ferns, moss, and other vegetation, I began to dwell on something. Why has humanity become so detached from nature? How could it have so largely lost its reverence and respect for other species than its own in mere centuries? How can a person think absolutely nothing of backing up to the edge of a cliff and dumping a large crate of used car batteries into a river? Has our species become so mechanical, machinelike, and insensitive to the rest of the world that so many of us will gladly do such things in the interests of efficiency, profit, and the advancement of mankind? Apparently. As far as the triforce is concerned, humanity has most of the power in this world, and it definitely has courage (unprecedented gaul), but wisdom is the one thing that it will probably never learn how to steal from other animals. Humanity has intelligence, sure, but wisdom? Not much.

One of the hottest trends these days is "going green." I see it everywhere. Corporations are going green, consumers are going green, wise little Martian men have already gone green a long time ago. Obviously, we have finally begun to recognize the threat we pose to ourselves. It's not that anyone with any real power gives a damn about wolves or polar bears or spotted owls, and why should they? The reason they're in power is because they appealed to the people and promised helping humanity toward a better future, not because they went out and physically stood in the way of the forcible slaughter of 100,000 tortoises. Wouldn't affect them any either way. It's all just a grand ol' play. The latest Bush just so happened to weave it into a seemingly irrerversible tragedy.

But who cares, we're the dominant ones, and we have the power. The world belongs to us, right? Fuck anyone or anything that can't compete. Must exterminate. Must control. Must consume far more than necessary.

What else saddens me is observing how few people seem to appreciate the majesty of nature anymore. They resemble cattle in feedlots, pushing each other along in massive droves as they dip their noses into the grain, completely oblivious to the spectacular rainbow that stretches across the sky right above their heads. Just going about their business, from point Abattoir to point Butcher, with what appears to be little to no capacity to pause and appreciate all the beauty in the world, if only for a second. If life's finish line is death, what's the point of racing through it all the time?

Jun 12, 2008

A post about movies

Oh great, yet another fucking superhero movie has been on the tip of everyone's tongue. *does an Incredible Sulk*

You know, The Hulk just made an appearance on the big screen five years ago, but this time, he's incredible. An Incredible Hulk of Shit. I'll just go ahead and admit that I dislike most movies based on comic books to the point nearly to the point of hating them. V for Vendetta is an exception, but that wasn't quite the same as all the Batman, Spiderman, Cuntman, or whateverman movies that have come out in recent history.

I've got an idea for a new one: The Ambiguously Fabulous Four. I bet that one would have plenty of flamboyant eye candy, especially if it stars the Star Fox team. We're definitely overdue for a Starfox movie already.

Generally, I'm not a huge sci-fi fan either, which may seem bizarre coming from a furry. Star Wars is ok I guess. The latter three episodes at least. I've never been much into movies about aliens or galactic empires. I'd actually rather watch non-fictional documentaries about scientific advances in outer space. Something relevant to the world and universe in which I live and breathe. The Matrix is my kind of sci-fi, though it's more a cross-breed of action.

I'd say my favourite "superhero flick" was Donnie Darko, because it was subtle, thought-provoking, disturbing, and requires several watches to appreciate and even begin to understand. Of course, your average popcorn-munching 13 year-old and his junior high school buddies probably wouldn't have the attention span to sit through the first half hour of it, as there are no high-speed chases through the streets or outer space, scantily clad supermodels, totally hawt actors, and mindless corny dialogue to bridge the gaps between action-packed scenes full of sick [sic] special effects. Hey, I don't mind special effects, but I prefer movies that are heavier on substance and plot. I prefer movies that mess with the mind. Psychological dramas like K-PAX and psychological thrillers like The Sixth Sense are very much my cup of energy drink.

Of course, I like pretty much all types of comedies: quirky, black, slapstick, romantic, British. Just as long as it doesn't involve Eddie Murphy or Martin Lawrence in a fatsuit, or anything close to the degree of reprehensible shitfuckery that is Little Man.

And I naturally love adventure movies full of fur-raising escapades out in the wild or in some booby-trapped dungeon. Into the Wild was a good film. Action is of course an enjoyable genre as well. The Hunted is a superb chase-down-the-fugitive film featuring a great deal of majestic scenery in and around Portland, Oregon and Oregonian rainforests. Can't go wrong with movies like Snatch or Fight Club either.

Then there are mobster movies! Can't get enough of those. And for contrast, there are cute and clever cartoons like Over the Hedge, Madagascar, and Flushed Away.

I do enjoy coming across people with similar tastes in movies; people who don't just settle for gobbling up all the shit that regularly comes out in theaters.

Jun 2, 2008



Men's Health Magazine called Baskin Robbin's Large Heath Bar Shake the worst drink in America. It has 2,310 calories and 108 grams of fat. You would have to eat 11 Heath bars to reach that number of calories. (http://health.yahoo.com/experts/eatthis/5027/
americas-unhealthiest-drinks-exposed/)

The question is, why on Earth would anyone even order something that large unless they had plans to provide dessert for 10 people. NOBODY needs that much junk food in a cup, no matter how fat they are. All I'd want is a few nibbles off the top. But of course, this is America, where serving portions have become obscenely oversized and overpriced. Woe to those who misread Heath as "Health."