Movin’ On…

As you can probably tell, I’m no longer updating this WordPress blog o’ mine.  Instead, please follow me on Tumblr: http://www.tumblr.com/blog/amadolumbajr.  See you there!

Schmesolutions

As I approach the end of yet another year, I am once again compelled to look back on the year that was and come up with a list of resolutions for the next 365 days.

I say, to hell with that. I’m not going to make any resolutions per se save for only one. And this singular goal will apply not only to the coming year but will also serve as a life-long quest.

Be better.

I know I should come up with something I could quantify because, after all, how can I determine I’ve gotten better than I was before?

Well, I can always tell when I’ve gotten worse so it begs to argue that I’ll easily be able to discern when I’ve gotten better. Keep it simple.

Plus, I acknowledge that everything is cyclical. So if I happen to falter in mid-stride, I’ll just simply pick things back up and be better.

That’s my goal. What’s yours?

Can I Walk Away From It?

I have 419 “friends” on Facebook. Four hundred nineteen. I am baffled as I typed that number. Last year, before “The Great Purge,” which is what I called what I did this same time last year when I deleted “hundreds of people” from my Friends list– most of whom were people I “friended” due to that godforsaken Facebook game called “Mafia Wars”– I had over 600. Six hundred!

Like many users of that popular social network, my “Friends” actually include family members, real-life friends, online “friends,” former/current work colleagues, former schoolmates, social acquaintances (i.e. people with whom I get drunk), friends of friends, friends of friends of friends. The list goes on. But, also akin to the conditions that afflict most users, I truly interact with maybe only a couple of dozen of them on a regular basis.

Such is life, you say? Of course. Then, why the hell should I have over four hundred of them saddling my account? It seems an unnecessary abundance– hundreds of people to whom I have nothing to say and vice versa. Hence, why keep them?

“You brought that on to yourself,” a good friend recently told me. Pointedly, I might add. He’s right, of course.

I thought about doing another “great purge,” and just systematically deleting people from my account, but then I thought that would seem heartless and insensitive. After all, most of these people sought me out, and I allowed the association. Simply deleting them would be the most blatant thing I could do. However, since 90% of them choose to not interact with me either, what would be the big deal? And, if they truly want to be my friend (sans quotation marks), they’ll seek me out again, right? Unless, of course, the act of deletion would make them blackball me from their “friends” lists. Am I making a quandary out of nothing?

I could make myself feel better by convincing myself that I would actually be doing those people a favor by purging them from my list, sparing them from having to see posts/updates from someone with whom they consciously choose to not interact regularly anyway. But, knowing myself, I would allow some version of guilt to overwhelm me, and I would wonder (for a long while) how many people’s feelings I may have hurt. It wouldn’t matter if those feelings weren’t hurt at all; I would still let it bother me.

Then, I thought a more brilliant idea would be create a new Facebook profile (which I already did) bearing a different, yet still somewhat related, user name. I would then strategically “friend” only the family members and friends with whom I truly want to interact frequently and genuinely. It would allow me to manage my “friends” list to a more reasonable number. Two digits, undoubtedly, and maybe even under 50. It would be very exclusive– borderline elitist– and I would summarily dismiss any “friend requests” from casual acquaintances. In other words, I would somewhat disappear from the masses.

The most radical thought I have is to just stop using Facebook altogether. After all, I’ll still have my Twitter account; not having a Facebook account would make it so that I’m checking one less thing for updates. And, if I truly needed an online venue to interact, I could explore Google+, which seems to be a promising platform for me to start over, so to speak.

In other words, I could simply delete my current account without any notice. No if’s, and’s, or but’s. It seems the most fair way to go about whittling my social (network) responsibility.

But, can I really do that? Can I truly walk away from that which I’ve built into a thriving element of my social life, however pathetic that may sound?

Childhood Cartoon Shows

I got to browsing on YouTube recently– it truly is the best way to waste time– and happened upon videos of cartoons I used to watch when I was a kid.  Some of my favorites have anime style intro sequences, with killer theme songs.  Here are several of them:

Thundercats

Silverhawks

Bionic 6

Mighty Orbots

And speaking of anime, here are some of my most favorite opening sequences/theme songs:

Flames of Recca

Gatekeepers

Sakura Wars

Bleach

 

Final Thoughts About The (Alleged) Rapture

Four years ago, I saw a bumper sticker that stated, “When the Rapture happens, can I have your car?” I found it blasphemous at the time. Of course, back then, I was a God-fearing, church-going hypocrite like many who profess themselves to be “people of faith.”

Now, just a little under twelve hours before what many crazed people claim to be the End of Days, when the righteous, chosen 3% of the world’s population will supposedly be lifted up to heaven while those left behind are said to then face seven years of extreme trials and tribulations– including eventually dealing with the so-called Antichrist– I can’t help but find the humor in all of it.

Even further back in the day, I became obsessed with a literary series called “Left Behind”, an epic tale about the people who weren’t lucky enough to have been Raptured, and the situations they had to endure before the final days. There were sixteen or seventeen books altogether that it almost read like another bible. I was at once fascinated and terrified as I immersed myself in the authors’ fantastical work, and, convinced I will be among the unlucky who will indeed be left behind, began concocting survival schemes in my head when The Rapture comes to be.

Fast forward to today, when what many Christians would immediately label me as “wayward,” someone who has “lost his faith,” I laugh at reading about all these people who are rejoicing about and preparing for the Rapture that’s predicted to happen today, May 21st, 2011, at 6pm local time. “For reals” this time. Like the past predictions of the our demise– at one point to happen in 1999, and let’s not forget about December 2012– were clearly erroneous, and that we should really be ready for this one.

And I wonder: How many churches will be filled to the hilt tonight? How many “lost souls” will suddenly “find faith?” There are already reports of people stocking up as if for a nuclear fallout. It’s just nuts.

Tonight, at 7pm, I’m attending a “Rapture Party,” surrounded by like-minded realists who find the ridiculousness in all this. We’ll be reveling in each other’s company while not having the slightest worry.

But, I’m not going to kid myself. Before then, I know I’ll still have 6pm on my mind, and will be on the lookout for people to magically disappear around me, leaving all but piles of their clothes behind. And I’m going to sit back and watch the world go to shit.

I would hate to be wrong about this whole Rapture thing, but in the unlikely event that it does come to pass, at least it would be a great reason to drink again. This self-imposed sobriety has cramped my style. 😉

More Fun while doing Number One

One word: Awesome.

What the what?

The Buddha is mobile now

LaMarcus Aldridge: NBA Western Conference Player of the Week

I don’t have many favorite sports teams, but I have to root for the Portland Trailblazers being as they are my hometown team. So, I take great pride in the fact that my team’s own LaMarcus Aldridge has been named this week’s Player of the Week by the NBA. Go, LA!

Animate It!

I volunteer for Film Action Oregon because of my ongoing endeavors in film-making and because they stand for such a great cause.  What they also do quite well is empower the youth through the film arts.  Animate It! is just one of their programs that help that cause.  Here’s the info:

Beginner Class
Beginner level Animate It! workshop for kids ages 7-11. Students will learn about the art of animation by creating their very own stop-motion animation video! Students who do not feel ready for an advanced Animate It! workshop are highly encouraged to participate. The class will incorporate various fun, DIY animation techniques building towards the creation of an animated sequence!

Dates: January 22nd and January 23rd
Times: 10am-1pm both days
Location: The Hollywood Theatre
Cost: $70, limited scholarships available

Advanced Class
Have you taken an animation class before? Are you familiar with how to use stop motion software? Join our new advanced level Animate It! workshop. Students will work with a professional animator to expand their technical knowledge, and learn how to incorporate audio into their films. Class size is extremely limited, so enroll soon! Animate It! workshop will be instructed by animator Dan Ackerman, Director of ‘Ackerman Films’ and owner of ‘Stage 13’ Production Studio

Dates:
Saturday, January 29th
Sunday, January 30th
Saturday, February 5th
Sunday, February 6th
Times: 10am-1pm each day
Location: The Hollywood TheatreCost: $200

Call 503-493-1128 to enroll

Here’s the link to their website:  http://www.filmactionoregon.org/educating/animate_it.html

What better way to enrich a youth’s life than through the arts!