CULTURE IS TIMELESS

A few months ago, my computer ultimately crashed and was officially done for. This, in addition to my sudden lack of interest in blogging and lack of things to write about caused me to stop writing. Sure, it's an outlet and I actually do really enjoy it, but I feel like I'm writing for no purpose. The only person who actually read my blogs and conversed with me about my topics was my music teacher, and he along with everyone else has probably forgotten that I ever used to do this.

Anyway, I've gotten a new computer and there is a chance that I may begin doing this again, if I can find the inspiration.

I'm back! (Hopefully)

I haven't been inspired to write lately because I've been so caught up with life. Not really though, I'm just saying that to sound important. However, something I notice increasingly often around me is how racist people are. It's pretty gross.

A common situation I find myself in is one where someone is about to tell me a racist joke and I decline that offer as soon as I realize it's racist. In defense of their racism, the person normally says "Stereotypes exist for a reason.", which I can argue against easily.

Obviously the root of racism is stereotyping. I don't have solid research on this but common sense says that most people wouldn't be racist if their parents hadn't etched stereotypical ideas into their minds. Stereotyping is wrong because you simply can't blame an entire group of people for the actions of one person. You also cannot associate a certain act or crime with one group of people. People of every single race have commited each crime... none of this is unique to one certain race.

One thing I can't stand is when people use race adjectively, for example "Look at that ____ guy over there!" When I call people out on that they normally try to say that they only said that because they were trying to describe the person so that I would know which one to look at. Couldn't you have described them by their shirt color, a distinctive hat, or shoes? In most situations it is ignorant to describe someone by their race because you could be wrong. For example you could describe someone as Mexican when they're really Peurto Rican.

The reason I finally exploded and blogged about racism is because I truly do not see why people have such an issue accepting people who aren't of their own race. I also wanted to exert all of this anger somewhere since people don't seem to grasp this concept when I talk to them face to face. Is it really that bad that I have to put it in writing?

(Click to enlarge)

Recently I got addicted to this one webcomic called Questionable Content because of its infinite obscure indie references and cute characters. (oh please tell me I did not just call fictional characters cute) After reading every 1,300+ comic in the archive I feel so empty that I actually have to wait for a new one to come out daily. So today I went through the "other cool comics" recommended by Jeph Jacques (author of Questionable Content) and I came across a much less lighthearted one... A Softer World. Some of them are really funny and simple but the one above has a lot of meaning to me.

It made me think about how pathetic it is that it's now considered "cool" to hate your parents or disrespect them. There are things that my mother did that I truly hate, but recent events have made me realize that hate is a very strong word. I can hate how she acts, things she does, but I can't sincerely hate her.

Basically all I wanted to do was blog about something semi-meaningful since I've been lacking good posts, and I wanted to put out there that there are so many great webcomics that should be read. This is a short one because there are so many things that I could say regarding parental hate, but I'd rather have people figure out for themselves...

http://www.questionablecontent.net
http://www.asofterworld.com

As much as I hate the idea of having a post explaining what I've been up to lately, I feel obliged to inform you why I've been on a blogging hiatus. If you really don't care to hear my reasoning for my absence, then I'll let you know now that I should soon be back. Here's the backstory though, just in case you're wondering.

Recently, I went through this academic epiphany. I concluded that it would be best for me if I finished high school on time with passing grades. I want to get a job sometime this year, hopefully around when the next school year begins (the sooner the better though, money is a nice thing to have) and if it's hard for people with master's degrees to get jobs, then it would probably be beneficial and drastically increase my chances of actually being hired if I had a better GPA and attendance record. I figure if I've come this far I might as well finish what I started instead of dropping out. Some people have told me that I'm way too smart to even fail one class, which motivates me to try harder. That's precisely what I've been doing. I could be doing even better, but I'm trying to enjoy the last quarter of semi-slacking off while I can before I actually have to put a lot of effort into it. Another reason why I haven't been posting is because I had a terrible case of the worst thing someone like me could imagine -- writer's block! I was actually reading so many books, magazines, webcomics - you name it - which threw me off on my own writing. I'm still sort of recovering from this, which is why this post is really egocentric and boring, but it's slowly convalescing. I just had to write something here because things just felt so... empty.

However, there's very good news. Today's the start of spring break, and in just an hour I've successfully written the bulk of two songs that I'm fairly happy with! You see, writer's block for me doesn't just limit to my blogging/personal writing... it also applies to my songwriting and lyricism. I've spent the past month or so forcing myself to write songs that I would get so frustrated with because they weren't what I was trying to write. Today these two songs came with a lot of ease, and I'm really excited to see how much they'll improve and how they'll sound when they're finished. I'm also pretty happy that my drumming and guitar skills are progressing.

Basically, I've been working on a few creative personal projects with things I like to do. I revamped my room, found new clothing stores that I like, reconnected with a few old friends, started reading a hilarious webcomic, and got creative with little things such as how I make my tea. At the beginning of writing this entry I was angry with myself for posting about my life and how I've been because I normally blog about my opinion on things unrelated to me. However, I don't really plan on writing stuff like this much and I think that when I do it will be a bit of a break for anyone who reads this since it's a little more personal and lighthearted, not so cynical and angry. However, I need to bring this to a close. I'm going shopping for new shoes.

A short yet informative post:

It has recently come to my attention that all of you lovely people are unable to comment on these posts. I'm not sure why not, but I did a lot to try to fix it and failed. So, I figured since my comment feature doesn't function correctly, and my e-mail inbox is always empty, and feedback you may have can be e-mailed to me at stoll.sara@yahoo.com.

Judgement sucks. Especially when you're young, cos you're inevitably going to be judged by those older than you. A two year old is going to be expected to cry and whine invariably. This is considered to be human nature, but things are subject to change as you get older. At around age ten, it's conventional for one to begin developing their personality and character, and that's when true judgement starts to occur.

If you were to place three adolescents in a room together with one [judgemental] person at least ten years their senior, they would probably all be looked upon in a similar way. For example, if we had a slacker (not just in school but in life as well), a mediocre student with decent skills in a hobby of their choice, and another youngster with the capability of meritorious academic success but a lack of motivation, they would probably all be treated the same way by the adult. Clearly, that's acceptable and aimed for; equality is a necessary moral that I strongly stand for, but as the said motivation-lacking strong mind, I autobiographically supplicate for my elders to descry what sets me apart from the crowd.

When I do happen to discourse with a character older than myself (yours truly) who does acknowledge and perhaps compliment my individually brilliant powers of perception, I take pride in it. I appreciate a compliment on my mind much more than I do a compliment on my appearance. Beauty does not last forever, but intellect will always continue to have room for improvement.

I must first point out how infuriated I am that Matt Bellamy won sexiest male. I'm chafed two parts because no matter how great Muse is, Matt Bellamy is not that attractive, and one part because I wish someone else would have won. I never said he was bad looking and I hope I don't get assassinated for saying this, but he's just not as attractive as the others who were nominated for that award. Keith Murray of We Are Scientists was nominated. Miles Kane was nominated as far as I remember. They're both sexier. Alex Turner was then burned when he lost "best dressed" to his female, Alexa Chung. Even though I did vote for Alex (I promise it's not cos I'm in love with him, I honestly do think he has nice style!) I can definitely see why Alexa won. I'd rob her closet if given the chance. Moving on, MGMT was dubbed "best new band" and while I do really like MGMT, it confuses me that they've won the best new band award considering they're not that new. They were apparently titled "Track of the Year" and "Album of the Year" in 2008 which shows that they're not as fresh as some of the other bands that were nominated. I personally voted Late of the Pier on that one. I can't be upset that MGMT is winning awards though, cos they're great. Muse won best live band, and I can't have much of an opinion on this since I haven't seen them live. I'm just glad the Killers didn't win, cos from what I hear they're not good live. I'd have to see it before I believed it though. Dizzee Rascal won "Best Dancefloor Filler" which I can understand. I forgot what I voted for that one. "Best Album" went to Kings of Leon, which once again is something I can understand. I may have voted for them but forgot again. Glastonbury was named best live event, which has only made me even more jealous (if possible) that I can't go. The Killers won best international band. I really love the Killers but there are better international bands. After "Day & Age" I can say I'm getting bored of them. Robert Smith wins "Godlike Genius." Enough said. Pete Doherty wins "Best Solo Artist" but I have to say I like him better as a Libertine.

I just wish I could have been there. Apparently there were killer performances from White Lies, Blur, Franz, and the Cure who closed with some of their best hits. That's it. I'll write for NME, and just get invited to these things. I will be a VIP. And you will all be jealous.

But not really.