Thursday, October 09, 2008

The Day of Auto-nement-Fun. 10-9-2008.

[i took photos]

Every now and then, I recruit my friends to participate in some brilliant blog post idea I have and then I harass them about getting me the 2-3 sentences I asked for until they do, and then once they do, I take like a week to put my idea into action and write said post. This is one of those weeks.

But when in doubt, auto-fun. Can I just say? That I actually hate the word 'auto-fun,' like it sounds kinda dumb, and everyone knows reading isn't fun. But I sort of invented it and now I have to stick to it. You guys seem to like it. Or maybe you're just pretending to like it. That's fine. Everyone loves a good game of pretend.

When I was a kid, my Mom had us do this thing she called "nightlight time." At 8:30 I'd have to go to my room, sit at the desk underneath my loftbed, turn on my nightlight and read or write or draw until 9. Then it was time for bed I think. I have to go to bed early 'cause I have a date tomorrow morning with Time Warner. He's about as sexy as a tampon.

quote: "I think what it shows us is the limits of tolerance, that it's not enough to be tolerated, because when the shit hits the fan you find out how much tolerance is worth. Nothing. And underneath all the tolerance is intense, passionate hatred ... power is the object, not being tolerated." (Tony Kushner, Angels in America)

links:
1) Please. Please. Please for the love of whomever you love the most please read this article, and please forward it to anyone you know who is still thinking of voting for four more years of an entitled, underachieving brat:

Make-Believe Maverick: A closer look at the life and career of John McCain reveals a disturbing record of recklessness and dishonesty. (@rolling stone)

I ask of you that you please read that article for me. The rest of these links will not address the presidential elections -- after all, we've spent all day reading/watching Dowd, HuffPo, Frank Rich, Sarah Silverman, Keith Olberman, Rachel Maddow, feministing, gawker, jezebel, that blonde lady with the curly hair who's always on CNN or MSNBC, talking points memo, Hardball, the new yorker, wonkette, truthdig, and on and on and on -- so I don't need to tell you what's being said today.

So please -- concentrate your full political attention to that article there, "1." Thank you.

2) Twitter Zero: "Attention is a precious resource. Twitter is a distraction. Email is a distraction. This blog is a distraction. Pretty much everything is a distraction on the Internet, either designed to capture an eyeball or rewire a neuron or to short circuit the brain to wallet function. And sometimes the only reasonable response to a thoroughly enjoyable distraction is to make a very visible, very annoying, very painful decision to skip this particular distraction and move on." (@vacuum)
3) ANTM recap: Clark, Barred. (@fourfour)
4) Presidential Debate Mistakes: The Biggest Blunders in Debate History] [Video & Text] (@esquire)
5) Rachael Yamagata Day: New album out at last (@achtung baby)
6) Good For Art: "As her book makes clear, no perfect patronage exists, certainly not in the arts, which offer special problems to any patron and not a few to artists. Patronage in the arts tends to illustrate the cynical proverb that holds no good deed goes unpunished." (@the weekly standard)
"Once artists take federal or state--that is, taxpayers'--money, they are under an obligation to be, at a minimum, not directly insulting. If they feel the need for their art to go on the attack--against the customs and institutions of their country--then logic and decent manners suggest they are under the obligation to create it on their own nickel."
7) Ideally, I'm only the second or third person to tell you about this: Stop sending mail you later regret. If I'm the 9th or 10th person to tell you this, you have a problem. I learned all about problems on the teevee, it's called Intervention. (@google blog)
8) Lesbian Poetry: A Retrospective. (@afterellen)
10) In Conversation: Richard Price and Junot Dìaz from Autowin Book Club #1 interviewed by Sam Anderson. (@nymag)
10a) Algorithm & Blues: The wonder and terror of Google, by Sam Anderson. (@nymag)
11). Sixteen Candles is up in this recording's series about Films Of The 1980s (@this recording)
12) A Brief History of the 21st Century by Chuck Klosterman (@esquire)
13) The Banned Books Quiz (@the guardian uk) I scored 3 out of 12, clearly I'm an idiot.
14) This is the "365 Portraits" project, done by the guy that shot our Hot Blogger Calendar on Sunday.
If you want to experience something lovely that might give you faith that there's something to be said for humanity just because it like, IS -- I suggest looking at all 365 from January to December while listening to music you like. Wash, rinse, repeat. (@bill waldman) (look, that's me up there!)

[feedback love]
p.s. I feel like I should say, if you're new to autowin, I'm not serious when I write these poems. They are jokes. My first poem was inspired by a box of Nerds or mixed nuts. One was the first and one was the second. I plan to one day come full circle and write my last poem also about Nerds. Or possibly about mixed nuts. Subtitle: "People I've Loved, More or Less."

"insomnia" poem #15

I read somewhere
that mice can't handle peppermint
so i've oiled my apartment in it
it turns out neither can i

my eyes burn,
girls yearn
old souls cry

and underneath the floorboard
i've hidden all the parts of me
that need to eat death's edges
to thrive

and i'm telling you neither can i
and i'm inhaling fresh through my eyes
my eyeballs are whiter than teeth, the roof can fly
and i'm telling you it's been days since i've cried
and i'm telling you, in order to live
well you know.
all the dirty feisty things

underneath my skin

well

they've sniffed the air,
and squealing,
died.
*

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Random fun: new Sarah Vowell book is out! I wish to marry her brain.

Lady Thoughts said...

I saw Rach this week in Seattle. All I can say is cute, funny, and I wanna Be Be Her Love...
She had the flu, was totally self-deprecating in only the cutest way, yet she stuck it out for the whole concert. See her if you can (or haven't yet).

Haviland said...

I LOVE that Kushner quote. Angels in America, one of the finest pieces of art ever. For those of you who haven't seen it, rent the miniseries, like, IMMEDS.

Also, I really like the smell of peppermint.

riese said...

burningsteady: Vowell on Letterman - "buy it now before you all run out of money!" I heart her and her cute voice.

leah: I've only been aware of her reality since be be be be your love, but Rachel Yamagata is like a crying dandelion in my hair.

haviland stillwell: And I'd like to thank your bookshelf and its copy of Angels in America for that quote ... :-)

The Brooklyn Boy said...

I picked up Rachel's first album during a trip to the indie record store during college, because it was at the listening station, and those were the days I would spend an hour or two once or twice a week being that guy listening to EVERY ALBUM.

Short story long, I kind of love her, and became inordinately happy when the new Blender came in the mail and had a review of the new album, which I did not know was being released.

That is all.

Oo Lynnie oO said...

for the record, i enjoy auto-fun!

Anonymous said...

ooo boy some dude just commented on the Rolling Stone article:"Horrible publishing on RS's part. It was only 8 years ago that you guys published an article stating the exact opposite about McCain... Claiming him as a brave hero to our country."

Obvs he didn't read the article.
I can't comment back for my own sanity, but I feel like someone should save him the embarrassment...
Like, wasn't that was the whole point? To point out that McCain has changed and flip-flopped constantly cause he's an opportunist and does what's best for himself?

Also Rolling Stone wrote in that article:
"In 1983, McCain broke with Reagan to vote against the deployment of Marine peacekeepers to Lebanon. The unorthodox stance caught the attention of the media — including this very magazine, which praised McCain's "enormous courage."

All I'm sayin is McCain supporters obviously don't read. At all. Ever. That's it. That's all I'm gonna say about that.

Anonymous said...

As the proud owner of a color Auto-Insomnia zine, I can tell you that your poems acquire weight and velocity when collected in one place, especially showcased by Alex's retro punk/DIY design. Can't wait for issue 002.

Len

autumn m said...

so i sat there, and read the Rolling Stone article. im gonna have to agree completely with what A;ex said. Like she said everything i wanted to say, but said it better than i would have, and took up alot less space than i would have. props to her!! and basically, i wanna punch McCain in the face, really hard. I feel stupidity like his should be rewarded with a good beat down. violence solves everything, ok not really, but it makes me feel better.

Bokolis said...

Neocons don't let the facts get in the way of their ambitions. Similarly, Americans- the ones between I-287 and the San Bernandino Mountains- cannot be dissuaded from the notion that that McCain is more "prepared" for the job...the only hook on the rack left for his hat to hang.

Personally, I prefer the Mad Dog Palin article...the dude kept up the venom the whole way.
hatehatehatehatehatehate

Anonymous said...

I don't know what to do with myself.
There seems to be some amazing things happening -- first a comment re: the zine from Len (umm!! wow thanks!) and then Autumn comes through once again. Nice!

No really, I'm impressed by you and your story, Autumn. And you've just continued to do this thing were you say really amazing things. By the way, I'm not opposed to violence. We can start a gang if you want. Just throwin that out there...

Hi Riese!

autumn m said...

ok so im up for a starting a gang. we can make people respect us through the use of fear. i like it!!!
Alex as for you being impressed by my story, thanks. i guess. do people say thanks to that?¿ i never had any intention of telling it, cause im ashamed of it. and usually when i tell people, they have a tendency to get real pissed off.
i just finished looking at the 365 portraits. i like it. some of them weren’t really my style, but most of them were good.

riese said...

brooklyn boy: I admit I didn't discover her 'til her song was on the l word. then i read about her new album. Now I love her new album. I read about things, then I love them.

ooo lynnie oo: Also for the record, thanks!

a;ex: I know, it's amazing. Haters of articles -- as I learned during much of my previous experiences with obsession -- have almost never actually read the whole thing. Also, it's a magazine with a lot of opinions in it. Like maybe that article was one persons opinion, and this article is another person 's opinion.

anonymous: Me tooo! I need to beef up on the insomnia and then like crank 'em out like whoa! She wasn't even alive during the whole punk thing, so that shows serious artistic integrity on her part.

autumn m: I wanna punch McCain in the face too, and give props to Alex. Whatever makes you feel better, I support and would vote for.

bokolis: I know, it's amazing how much clout we give to experience. I feel like after 26 years, he's made a lot of enemies. And certianly Palin should balance him out. But I guess there's always the neo-con base that will not be dissauded by facts, as you say. Sigh.

a;ex: You should be in a gang like west side story, 'cause that combines fighting and dancing.

autumn m; everyone on autowin gets 2nd and 3rd chances to become democrats. they actually get 2nd and 3rd chances to do whatever they want really whenever they want to, as well, so there's that.

yeah some of them weren't my style, but I was just like, "oh, humans! you and your many flavors!"