"I can't do this Sam..."
"I know. It's all wrong. By rights we shouldn't even be here. But we are. It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why.
But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something."
"What are we holding onto, Sam?"
"That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo... and it's worth fighting for."
I've always found the Lord of the Rings films to be among the most well crafted and wonderful films in existance. Surely, the speeches they included were life changing in some way, and this one has always been close to my heart.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlyEwcplCD4&feature=related
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
I Tried to Do Handstands For You
I fell and scraped my knees of the other day. I was leaving my Government class, and at the foot up the steps outside of the building, the ground is uneven. I tend to trip over it quite often, but this time I fell head over heels. I managed to catch myself with my hands and knees, which didn't turn out to be a good thing, but I didn't eat the pavement as I thought I might. It was quite an unfortunate experience, and my knees are still bruisy. As I was falling, I could only think of one thing. It wasn't the meaning of life, or the state my knees would be in once they hit pavement, or the person I love more than anyone, or anything. No, it was whether or not my laptop would be okay.
It got a crack on the edge, but otherwise its fine. If you were wondering.
As always, I turned this experience into an artistic one, and took photos of my knees that were inspired by this song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8HRCacAQ-4
It got a crack on the edge, but otherwise its fine. If you were wondering.
As always, I turned this experience into an artistic one, and took photos of my knees that were inspired by this song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8HRCacAQ-4
The Triumph of Intellect and Romance Over Brute Force and Cynicism
I wasn't always a fan of Doctor Who, but the combination of having a fanatical friend and my own love of its sister series Torchwood, I've come to adore it. I started watching religiously with the Eleventh Doctor, making my knowledge of the franchise quite limited beyond this season and what I've learned from my friend Val and Torchwood, but I quite enjoy the cheesy British TV special effects, the fun plots and most importantly the Doctor himself, played excellently by Matt Smith.
Here is a video I quite adore. It's the lost cold opening of the Craig Ferguson Late Show Doctor Who episode. I feel like this emcompasses everything I've come to learn about the good Doctor and his show up until now, including the bizarre aspects of the series, of which there are many.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9P4SxtphJ4&feature=player_embedded
Here is a video I quite adore. It's the lost cold opening of the Craig Ferguson Late Show Doctor Who episode. I feel like this emcompasses everything I've come to learn about the good Doctor and his show up until now, including the bizarre aspects of the series, of which there are many.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9P4SxtphJ4&feature=player_embedded
Le Marais
I love the movie Paris Je T'aime. I think its a cute series of vignettes that captures the things I loved about Paris when I went. I like to think of Paris as the ideal place it's depicted as, even when I know its not. I think this film did a good job of capturing both the fantasy Paris and the real one. It brings back fond memories of places I've been to and places I'd like to go to one day.
In particular, I love the story of the French boy who instantly falls for and pours his heart out to another boy, who doesn't acknowledge anything the French boy is saying. What looks like disgust or indifference actually turns out to be a language barrier, making the French boy's attempts at wooing suddenly humorous rather than sad. Eventually, the foreign boy figures out what the French boy must've been trying to say once he's gone (and left the foreign boy his phone number), and runs out of the printhouse he works in, presumably to find the French boy. It was such a sweet story, and I like to think they meet up, overcome their language barrier and live happily ever after.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCcDN8HifvA&feature=player_embedded
In particular, I love the story of the French boy who instantly falls for and pours his heart out to another boy, who doesn't acknowledge anything the French boy is saying. What looks like disgust or indifference actually turns out to be a language barrier, making the French boy's attempts at wooing suddenly humorous rather than sad. Eventually, the foreign boy figures out what the French boy must've been trying to say once he's gone (and left the foreign boy his phone number), and runs out of the printhouse he works in, presumably to find the French boy. It was such a sweet story, and I like to think they meet up, overcome their language barrier and live happily ever after.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCcDN8HifvA&feature=player_embedded
Rise of the Occult
My final vampire essay (I branched out to the general occult). I felt this one was a bit redundant, but I okay nonetheless.
Meredith Hershey
Professor Herndon
Literature 3312.S001
7 December 2010
Rise of the Occult
The supernatural has been a staple in folklore and literature all over the world for years, but it’s only now that they’ve become a major aspect of entertainment and culture. Vampires are the trailblazers of a new mainstream love of horror and the occult that was, until now, usually reserved for those who identified with the darker subcultures. One would be hard-pressed to find a book, film or television series nowadays that didn’t play into society’s love of gruesome violence and supernatural beings.
Society’s current love of the occult comes from several different aspects, mainly the fascination that most humans have with the unknown. Coby Troy, author of the article “Vampires in Pop Culture – A Modern Obsession with the Supernatural” writes “The modern obsession with supernatural characters, especially vampires, is curious yet understandable. People gravitate towards a tragic story. They are also intrigued by their fear of the unknown and the unexplainable” (Troy). Humans enjoy the sensation of being scared or unnerved. They are drawn to violence and tragedy, and typically stories involving the occult deliver. The idea of werewolves running through the forest, or legions of zombies shuffling after a group of terrified survivors sends chills down the spines of many, but they always come back for more. The feeling of terror is almost euphoric, and it feeds into the dark parts of people’s hearts. An article from Science Daily states “This novel approach to emotion reveals that people experience both negative and positive emotions simultaneously -- people may actually enjoy being scared, not just relief when the threat is removed” (Science Daily). Horror and supernatural stories give people that rush of positive and negative emotion, making them clamor for more when such stories are available.
Occult stories of recent also spend more time developing their monsters in order to appeal to a wider range of consumers. Gone are the days where supernatural characters were vicious beings out for blood. In a time where character development and narrative matters more than fancy prose, supernatural creatures are given a voice, a personality and a point of view. Everything from ghosts to zombies receives a thorough fleshing-out when written about. Vampires in particular are one of the more sophisticated monsters, meaning their appeal is much greater. It’s easier to sympathize and enjoy a character that is affably evil at most than a character that has absolutely no redeeming qualities. These new relatable monsters give people characters that they can empathize with. Everyone at some point feels like an outcast, and more often than not, vampires and other humanoid creatures face a life of isolation and loneliness, even if they live amongst humans. Occult stories have given society characters and situations it can relate to, with that extra fantasy added in to separate the story from real life.
Vampire and other monster stories have been around for centuries, and without them society might have developed a bit differently. Considering that horror stories have long been used in both the satisfying of humanity’s darker desires, and as explanations for things that society didn’t understand, a life without them might be unpleasant. It’s easy to think that horror and the occult doesn’t add anything to the fabric of society, but it does quite a lot. Humans are prone to violence by nature, and horror stories keep them both satisfied and kept at bay. The graphic imagery presented fuels one’s baser id instincts, as well as gives the more rational parts of the brain an example of what exactly not to do. Horror keeps a person from doing things they might have actually done without a consequence-free outlet to keep them happy. Author Stephen King writes in his essay “Why We Crave Horror Movies” that “the mythic horror movie, like the sick joke, has a dirty job to do. It deliberately appeals to all that is worst in us. It is morbidity unchained, our most base instincts let free, our nastiest fantasies realized . . .” (King). Horror and the occult gives people a way to enjoy the violence with the added bonus of unlikely circumstances and non-existent elements to keep it at arm’s length. Without these harmless and legal ways to enjoy violence, keeping the darker desires locked up might be impossible. Enough people have had hard times keeping their bloodlust at bay as it is. A life without an outlet for such feelings might degenerate into chaos.
The supernatural has long been used to explain the unexplainable. Before the advent of science, monsters were portrayed as bringers of disease and general misfortune. Parents told their children gruesome stories in order to keep them on the straight and narrow, and anything that appeared out of the ordinary was attributed to ghosts and goblins. Humans injected these stories with elements of themselves to make it more plausible, as stated by Robert Carneiro of the American Museum of Natural History, who writes “What is explanation? At bottom, it amounts to translating the unknown into the known, the unfamiliar into the familiar. And what do human beings know best? Themselves. They know how people think and feel and act. And from a very early stage of culture, people have projected human thoughts and emotions into the external world, endowing objects and forces of nature with human personality and greater-than-human power” (Carneiro). These beings, such as vampires and werewolves, are cursed with unnatural power, making them capable of producing the unnatural phenomena pre-science society witnessed every day. These stories, most of which have proven to be entirely untrue, have fueled humanity’s imaginations for centuries, paving the way for the eventual scientific method as well as countless stories and works of literature built around supernatural happenings.
Horror stories in the future will most likely reflect the issues and desires of the time period. Whether or not vampires and other occult characters will continue their evolution into fully realized characters rather than creatures made to scare the consumer remains to be seen. Throughout history there’s been a slow transformation from monster to man, making once-feared beings like demons and zombies loveable. Perhaps in the future, the inclusion of a vampire will be normal, rather than novelty.
Works Cited
University of Chicago Press Journals. "Why Do People Love Horror Movies? They Enjoy Being Scared." ScienceDaily 31 July 2007. 5 December 2010 <http://www.sciencedaily.com¬ /releases/2007/07/070725152040.htm>.
Troy, Coby. "Vampires in Pop Culture - A Modern Obsession With the Supernatural." Ezine Articles. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Dec. 2010. <http://ezinearticles.com/?Vampires-in-Pop-Culture---A-Modern-Obsession-With-the-Supernatural&id=4921530>.
King, Stephen. "Why We Crave Horror Movies." Hack n' Slash Monthly. N.p., 6 Sept. 2009. Web. 3 Dec. 2010. <http://hacknslashmonthly.blogspot.com/2009/09/why-we-crave-horror-movies.html>.
Carneiro, Robert L. "Origin Myths." Oracle ThinkQuest. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Dec. 2010. <http://library.thinkquest.org/C005854/text/types.htm>.
Today is Gonna Be a Great Day
Do you like Phineas and Ferb? I love it, so so much. At first, I was a bit ashamed to admit it, being a 19 year old girl after all. Yet, I find its charms so appealing, I can't help but love it openly. And as it turns out, I'm not the only one.
I went to a Phineas and Ferb panel at Comic-con last year and learned a lot about the thoughts and motivations behind the show. It was particularly interesting to learn what the adults got out of it and I was surprised to find that most adults admitted to watching the show without their kids. Some didn't even have kids. I know my 22 year old friend and I were there because we were big fans.
I find Phineas and Ferb to be the kind of show that caters to everyone, but not in a down-your-throat sort of way. It isn't a show that kids love and adults tolerate because there's some silly pop culture references. It's a show that kids love and adults love too. I find the brothers charming in their earnest attempts to make every day fun, something I certainly wish I had the creativity to do. The themes presented are ones anyone can relate to, and I find the newer episodes follow the formula less and less, making for an ever-changing dynamic show. I can honestly say I've seen every episode, and I don't hope to stop soon. Phineas and Ferb is an innocent, happy, and genuinely funny show. It's a rare breed nowadays.
Also, Perry the Platypus is a BAMF.
I went to a Phineas and Ferb panel at Comic-con last year and learned a lot about the thoughts and motivations behind the show. It was particularly interesting to learn what the adults got out of it and I was surprised to find that most adults admitted to watching the show without their kids. Some didn't even have kids. I know my 22 year old friend and I were there because we were big fans.
I find Phineas and Ferb to be the kind of show that caters to everyone, but not in a down-your-throat sort of way. It isn't a show that kids love and adults tolerate because there's some silly pop culture references. It's a show that kids love and adults love too. I find the brothers charming in their earnest attempts to make every day fun, something I certainly wish I had the creativity to do. The themes presented are ones anyone can relate to, and I find the newer episodes follow the formula less and less, making for an ever-changing dynamic show. I can honestly say I've seen every episode, and I don't hope to stop soon. Phineas and Ferb is an innocent, happy, and genuinely funny show. It's a rare breed nowadays.
Also, Perry the Platypus is a BAMF.
No Higher Honor than the Fridge...
My new skill: Oil painting.
I suddenly became good at it, and as a result, I've cranked out a couple good paintings. One of them is hung on the wall of my house, and the other-once dry-has a spot guaranteed. It's kind of wonderful, really, to have your art appreciated, even if its by your parents. I might have shed a manly tear or two. Maybe several.
And I really like oil painting, despite the mess it makes. I hope to work with it again in the future, when my grade doesn't depend on my speedy completion.
I suddenly became good at it, and as a result, I've cranked out a couple good paintings. One of them is hung on the wall of my house, and the other-once dry-has a spot guaranteed. It's kind of wonderful, really, to have your art appreciated, even if its by your parents. I might have shed a manly tear or two. Maybe several.
And I really like oil painting, despite the mess it makes. I hope to work with it again in the future, when my grade doesn't depend on my speedy completion.
Steadisms
Art for art. This is the world in tilt. Play the extra ball. - Thom Stead
I have a manager/friend who speaks in allegorical riddles pretty much constantly. I think he's awesome, but I wish I knew what he was saying.
The other day, he gave me an example of his allegorical sayings with something that went like "The first Tuesday of every month is the happiest time of the month, but it only happens 12 times a year. On that day, in a small town somewhere, a large truck pulls up and unloads the most glorious thing of all. Chocolate soft serve ice cream."
I wish I could document all of his bizarre phrases and put them in a book. I feel like they'd change the world, like Sun Tzu.
I have a manager/friend who speaks in allegorical riddles pretty much constantly. I think he's awesome, but I wish I knew what he was saying.
The other day, he gave me an example of his allegorical sayings with something that went like "The first Tuesday of every month is the happiest time of the month, but it only happens 12 times a year. On that day, in a small town somewhere, a large truck pulls up and unloads the most glorious thing of all. Chocolate soft serve ice cream."
I wish I could document all of his bizarre phrases and put them in a book. I feel like they'd change the world, like Sun Tzu.
Narrative and the Vampire
My third vampire essay. I'm particularly proud of this one, since I wrote it in one evening and it turned out to be quite satisfactory.
Meredith Hershey
Professor Herndon
Literature 3312.S001
16 November 2010
Narrative and the Vampire
The vampire has long been present in narrative. They started out as a one-dimensional archetype meant to shock or scare, but have since become a common factor in all sorts of stories. Recently, the vampire evolved into a more developed character, becoming more prominent in all types of media. Over time, they’ve stopped being the representation of the lurking evil around us and have become the representation of ourselves and the demons we all struggle with, an idea presented through narrative.
There hasn’t been and will probably never be a consistent characterization of vampires, due to their important role in the reflection of culture. Eric Nuzum of National Public Radio points out that “Dracula can't see his own reflection in the mirror because he is a reflection of the culture around him. Ever since Bram Stoker penned Dracula in 1897, the vampire's image has been a work in progress” (Nuzim). The modern vampire is a relatable character, though this was not always the case. Characters of the Nineteenth and early Twentieth century, such as Nosferatu and Dracula, were painted to be bloodthirsty, evil monsters with no remorse for the murders they committed. More often than not, vampires were creepy, pale and inhuman in appearance, and storytellers put emphasis on their gross differences to make them more menacing. Vampires were portrayed this way as a reflection of the fears of the society that created them. They represented disease, murder, and rape. There was no deeper characterization beyond the bloodlust. Vampires were the embodiment of everything that could go wrong in one’s life.
Nowadays, vampires have been embraced by the people who used to fear them. As times have changed, human beings have chosen different ways to cope with unfortunate situations, and vampires have come to be something else entirely. Since Anne Rice’s iconic Vampire Chronicles series, vampires have been characterized as more human than their older counterparts. They’ve been shown to have thoughts and feelings that go beyond their thirst for human blood, and they long for companionship. It is easy for people to identify with the modern vampire, because like so many humans, they desire happiness and acceptance, even when they are vastly different from the rest of society. Writer Sam Asael states, “No longer were vampires thought of as being the terrifying, bloodthirsty undead creatures of the night; they became sorrowful creatures struggling to cope with the adversities of life as they watched the world evolve, while they remained immortal and unchanging, forever out of sync with nature and the world. (Asael)” There is a certain tragedy to the character of the vampire, a feeling many can relate to with their own lives. Vampires, who are forced to be solitary or confined to the companionship of their own kind, may be a reflection of people who have been treated in a similar manner. The modern vampire is likeable because he is an outcast, a far cry from the vampires of previous centuries, where being different was not something to be proud of.
It is possible that vampires have always reflected the outcasts of society and the way they are treated by the majority. In earlier times, when vampires were characterized as monsters, those who did not fit the bill of the average citizen were also treated thusly. Vampires were simply the fictional embodiment of lepers, pariahs, peasants, the mentally ill and any other person that was considered a freak of nature. In modern times, there’s scarcely a soul who can say they haven’t felt alienated or outcast at some point, making vampires altogether more sympathetic. The characterization of vampires is a constantly changing thing that molds itself to the desires and insecurities of society.
The stories that feature vampires vary wildly. Once upon a time, vampires were confined to the horror genre. They were especially prominent in the gothic horror of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, having been featured in works by Bram Stoker and John William Polidori, amongst others. In recent times, they’ve been key characters in everything from science fiction to comedy. The story of the vampire differs from genre to genre, but there are elements that are a near constant. The vampire is nearly always a key character, if not the main character. Humans tend to project themselves onto the most relatable character is fiction, which is typically the main character. Over the years, vampires have evolved from their original villainous role. Now, they are most often anti-heroes, meaning their roles in the story are not strictly heroic, but neither does it mean they are villains. Vampires tend to do less-than heroic things, such as drink blood, but they usually fight on the side of good, in their own way.
Romance has long been a vampire-friendly genre, though the role of the vampire has changed. When vampires first came to prominence in the gothic horror genre, they were the villains of the story. Gothic horror often contains romantic elements, usually between the male protagonist and the hapless female victim, who may or may not make it through the story alive. Vampires were portrayed as the romantic rival to the hero, though it was almost always a ploy to gain the woman’s trust so he could drink her blood. Modern vampires have since become the hero. Instead of harvesting helpless ladies for sustenance, they develop actual feelings for others, creating a story filled with angst, forbidden romance and some serious compromise between the vampire and his mostly always human love interest. The villain role is usually filled by a rival vampire or other supernatural creature. Curiously, vampire hunters, once a prominent enemy of the vampire, are either a minor inconvenience or not included in the story at all, perhaps as a result of the lack of fear for vampires.
Vampires are so often included in romance stories because they can represent what people find attractive. Vampires, once thought to be sinister and devilish, are now the epitome of perfection. They can be anything the storyteller desires, and people who share that ideal can project themselves onto the corresponding human character. Vampires possess the ability to live forever which makes for both a romantic and tragic plot point. They long to be joined with their eternal love for all of time and oftentimes their human love interest is made a vampire in order to achieve that. If that isn’t an option, much of the plot tends to revolve around remedying their star-crossed lover status is some other fashion. These romantic elements give the vampire humanity, emotion and a sense of self. Rather than being a mindless killer, they are given personalities and back stories in order to appeal to both their love interest and the audience.
Vampires have become increasingly dramatic in their presentation. Many plot points focus on their existential angst about being a parasitic being and the trials and tribulations they must face. Anne Rice’s Interview with a Vampire and its sequels tend to focus less on the romance between the vampire characters and more on their struggles with living with and feeding off humans, their issues with self-loathing and the drain of immortality. These troubles are in some ways similar to the struggles humans face. Many people have fallen into despair over struggles with both fellow humans and themselves. Vampires and humans share the same desperate need to find the meaning of life, and it is these story elements that make vampires so relatable to humans. In a way, they can be more human than the humans who create them, which is why they are featured in so many stories.
Vampire stories have appeared in many times and places in history. According to Benjamin Radford of Live Science:
The first recorded accounts of vampires circulated in Europe in the middle Ages. The stories follow a consistent pattern: Some unexplained misfortune would befall a person, family, or town—perhaps a drought dried up crops, or an infectious disease struck. Before science could explain weather patterns and germ theory, any bad event for which there was not an obvious cause might be blamed on a vampire. Vampires were one easy answer to the age-old question of why bad things happen to good people (Radford).
As mentioned before, vampires were the embodiment of the misfortune in people’s lives. Considering that such incidents happened all across the globe, the idea that different cultures would come up with an explanation for such happenings is not surprising. Humans consider their blood to be the glue holding them together. It represents their life force, and without it they’d die. The cropping up of a similar bloodthirsty monster in nearly all cultures is a result of the fear of death. Therefore, vampire stories take place all over the globe and in every time period, as they are a universal symbol for the cultures that created them.
The narrator of vampire stories can sometimes be the creatures themselves, but are usually the humans who associate with them. When vampires were viewed as villains, the narrator spoke ill of these creatures and led the audience through the tale of the vampire’s destruction. Today’s narrator is typically the friend or lover of the vampire and he or she gives the audience a deep description of the vampire’s personality as he or she perceives them. This narrator is altogether more sympathetic towards and fond of the vampire, and the story typically does not focus on destroying it. As the vampire has evolved, so have the characters surrounding it. Rather than being treated as a threat, it is now loved and idolized by the narrator and the other characters around it.
Vampires have been around for centuries, as they represented the fear in people’s hearts. The modern vampire has instead become a symbol for outcasts, an example of the perfect lover, and the embodiment of what modern culture considers important. The stories told about vampires reflect the nature of the people who create them and they will continue to be the figureheads of human identity throughout time.
Works Cited
Asael, Sammael. "The Evolution of Vampires - Exploring Vampire Lore in Modern Media." Ezine Articles. N.p., 5 Jan. 2010. Web. 13 Nov. 2010. <http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Evolution-of-Vampires---Exploring-Vampire-Lore-in-Modern-Media&id=3510218>.
Nuzum, Eric. "Defining Dracula: A Century Of Vampire Evolution." National Public Radio. NPR, 30 Oct. 2008. Web. 13 Nov. 2010. <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96282132>.
Radford, Benjamin. "The Real Science and History of Vampires." Live Science. N.p., 30 Nov. 2009. Web. 14 Nov. 2010. <http://www.livescience.com/strangenews/091130-vampire-science-history.html>.
After years of expensive education, a car full of books and anticipation, I’m an expert on Shakespeare and that’s a hell of a lot, but the world doesn’t need scholars as much as I thought…
Being an Arts and Humanities major, or really any art-related major, is a lot different from getting an engineering degree or whatever, simply because when you tell people your major, they look at you like you're a total dumbass.
"Why are you getting an art degree?" they say. "What a waste of money!"
For some reason people think that getting an art degree is completely pointless. If I had a dime for the amount of times I've been told I'm going to be penniless, I'd be rich.
It's probably true. As many times as I've been asked the question "What can you do with an art degree?", you'd think I'd know the answer. But I don't. In fact, to be honest, I don't even want to be a professional artist. I love doing art, but I'd rather create art the way I want it and have people appreciate it for what it is. Working for someone who's going to constantly force me to change up my visions doesn't appeal to me in the slightest. So if that means that I never sell a single piece, I guess thats cool with me.
What I'd love to do is write novels. So many of my artistic ideas are more easily and creatively expressed through words and I really want to show them to the world. Unfortunately, one can't just decide to be a novelist and then just write a novel. I have to find a day job. And I, frankly, have absolutely no idea what that's going to be.
So why am I getting this degree then? And the only answer I have is, why not?
I absolutely abhor mathematics, and I don't like science much better. I'm completely incapable when it comes to anything involving numbers, and I honestly can't think of anything I enjoy that isn't related to art in some way. I guess you could say I'm completely right brained. Getting a degree that specializes in art, writing, history and so on may seem like a bad idea, but why would I spend money on something I'm not going to enjoy? I know I'm not going to make much money at it unless something amazing happens, but atleast I'll be having fun, writing books and painting pretty pictures and doing whatever else it is I'll do.
Do I want to be fabulously wealthy? Of course. Do I want to shell out wads of cash in order to live in a tiny cramped apartment in New York City? You bet.
"Why are you getting an art degree?" they say. "What a waste of money!"
For some reason people think that getting an art degree is completely pointless. If I had a dime for the amount of times I've been told I'm going to be penniless, I'd be rich.
It's probably true. As many times as I've been asked the question "What can you do with an art degree?", you'd think I'd know the answer. But I don't. In fact, to be honest, I don't even want to be a professional artist. I love doing art, but I'd rather create art the way I want it and have people appreciate it for what it is. Working for someone who's going to constantly force me to change up my visions doesn't appeal to me in the slightest. So if that means that I never sell a single piece, I guess thats cool with me.
What I'd love to do is write novels. So many of my artistic ideas are more easily and creatively expressed through words and I really want to show them to the world. Unfortunately, one can't just decide to be a novelist and then just write a novel. I have to find a day job. And I, frankly, have absolutely no idea what that's going to be.
So why am I getting this degree then? And the only answer I have is, why not?
I absolutely abhor mathematics, and I don't like science much better. I'm completely incapable when it comes to anything involving numbers, and I honestly can't think of anything I enjoy that isn't related to art in some way. I guess you could say I'm completely right brained. Getting a degree that specializes in art, writing, history and so on may seem like a bad idea, but why would I spend money on something I'm not going to enjoy? I know I'm not going to make much money at it unless something amazing happens, but atleast I'll be having fun, writing books and painting pretty pictures and doing whatever else it is I'll do.
Do I want to be fabulously wealthy? Of course. Do I want to shell out wads of cash in order to live in a tiny cramped apartment in New York City? You bet.
15 Items or Less.
Life at Kroger is a frustrating one. It's funny how you never notice the injustice that people endure until you work retail. Don't get me wrong. I don't suffer constantly at my work. The majority of my customers are nice and polite, even when they do things that irk me like ignore the fine print on coupons or take five minutes to write a check. I'm always nice and polite, since not only is it my job, its in my nature to be courteous as much as possible. Yet, there are times when I've faced a particularly uncouth person and thought afterwards that I'd never been treated thusly in all my life. I feel like some people honestly believe one or more of the following:
a) I'm their servant, here to cater to their every whim.
b) I'm an idiot (because I work at a grocery store, get it?) who they need to show how to do her job, which is insulting not only to me, but to all my coworkers, most of whom are strikingly intelligent.
c) I'm out to get them. They blame every mistake on me and don't seem to believe me when I apologize for mistakes I did make. They assume I'm trying to cheat them, overcharge them and ignore the fact that I'm only a cashier and have no control over prices.
I just wish people would show me the same respect I show them. Is it so hard to be nice to the girl behind the counter? To not treat her like she's dumb or shady just because she works at a grocery store?
And for God's sake, put down the friggin phone!
a) I'm their servant, here to cater to their every whim.
b) I'm an idiot (because I work at a grocery store, get it?) who they need to show how to do her job, which is insulting not only to me, but to all my coworkers, most of whom are strikingly intelligent.
c) I'm out to get them. They blame every mistake on me and don't seem to believe me when I apologize for mistakes I did make. They assume I'm trying to cheat them, overcharge them and ignore the fact that I'm only a cashier and have no control over prices.
I just wish people would show me the same respect I show them. Is it so hard to be nice to the girl behind the counter? To not treat her like she's dumb or shady just because she works at a grocery store?
And for God's sake, put down the friggin phone!
Talkin' About my Generation
Classic rock takes me back to a time where things were happening, rebellion was cool and the music was fresh. I have to admit, I love the sounds of Journey, Styx, Queen, Fleetwood Mac, Kansas, the Who, Boston, Genesis, the Police, CCR, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, the Kinks, The Doors and so on as much or more than any music today. What can you say about the tunes of yesterday? They were hot. They were flashy. And yet, they meant something. It was more than just hos and booze. It was more than partying and running from the mundane lifestyle. Those people were running because they things to be running from. They had war, corruption, oppression, and they chose to battle it with music and lyrics. In a bleak world, they shown through with songs about life, love, betrayal, tragedy and good times and all with actual talent. Do we have stuff like that now? Sure we do. Does it have the pizzazz that classic rock has? Surely not.
Carry on My Wayward Son
I desparately want to watch Supernatural all of a sudden. It's pretty much taken over the majority of my thoughts, meaning that once again, I've been afflicted with the wave of obsession that overcomes me sometimes when I want to watch or play something I know I really shouldn't.
My explanation is this. I don't like gore. Hate it even. I fear blood, guts and murder. I'm terrified of dismemberment and decapitation. As a child, I had an irrational fear of guillotines that spawned from god knows where and plagued me in my dreams quite often. And yet, I think its safe to say part of the reason I was so terrified of guillotines is because I was fascinated by them, in some sick fashion. I was so disgusted by them, and yet I thought about them more than anyone else ever would. It was bizarre. And its happened so many times since.
This was probably the beginning of my weird spells of fixation over something - usually a movie, tv show or game, which pikes my interest but is way too bloody or otherwise disturbing for my fragile mind to handle. What follows is an internal struggle of whether to do what I know is good for me, or be brave and regret it later.
I obsessed over American McGee's Alice for the better part of a year before finally sucking it up and playing a demo for my PC. Upon being dropped in some sort of demented village and killed by sentient card people several times without warning, I threw fear out the window and mauled them to death with my vorpal blade. I never felt the need to play again and my obsession simmered into a cool appreciation for its charms.
I agonized over whether to see Sweeney Todd when it came out in theaters, due to my intense aversion to gore and more importantly, my ever-present and crippling fear of cannibals. This bizarre phobia is my modern day guillotine, and the cause is just as random. I suppose years of hearing and seeings things has just built it up. Countering this was my unbelievable love of musicals and Alan Rickman. Eventually, they won out, and I ended up seeing not only the movie, but the broadway play and Pocket Sandwich Theatre penny dreadful production. Ironically, its one of my favorite musicals of all time, if I don't think about it.
Supernatural basically has everything I'm terrified of all rolled into one convenient package. Yet, I can't get it off my mind. I like the idea, because I'm not inherently afraid of supernatural creatures. In fact, I'm quite taken with them, and the idea of two weirdly co-dependent brothers driving down the interstate in their classic car listening to their classic rock and hunting monsters is appealing to me. It's the gore that bothers me, especially since the two main characters, Sam and Dean Winchester, face off against every kind of horrifying bloodthirsty beast imagineable, and half the time they're some sort of cannibalistic being. I know it'd be a struggle for me to get through the series, and yet I so desire to see it, its driving me insane.
I imagine I'll give in and just do my best to not be affected. I'll close my eyes and enjoy the moments sans-carnage and fawn over how incredibly attractive Jensen Ackles and Jared Padelecki are and everything will be just fine. I won't be able to let it go otherwise.
This was pretty much the driving force of my obsession: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsyMtYoSkC0
My explanation is this. I don't like gore. Hate it even. I fear blood, guts and murder. I'm terrified of dismemberment and decapitation. As a child, I had an irrational fear of guillotines that spawned from god knows where and plagued me in my dreams quite often. And yet, I think its safe to say part of the reason I was so terrified of guillotines is because I was fascinated by them, in some sick fashion. I was so disgusted by them, and yet I thought about them more than anyone else ever would. It was bizarre. And its happened so many times since.
This was probably the beginning of my weird spells of fixation over something - usually a movie, tv show or game, which pikes my interest but is way too bloody or otherwise disturbing for my fragile mind to handle. What follows is an internal struggle of whether to do what I know is good for me, or be brave and regret it later.
I obsessed over American McGee's Alice for the better part of a year before finally sucking it up and playing a demo for my PC. Upon being dropped in some sort of demented village and killed by sentient card people several times without warning, I threw fear out the window and mauled them to death with my vorpal blade. I never felt the need to play again and my obsession simmered into a cool appreciation for its charms.
I agonized over whether to see Sweeney Todd when it came out in theaters, due to my intense aversion to gore and more importantly, my ever-present and crippling fear of cannibals. This bizarre phobia is my modern day guillotine, and the cause is just as random. I suppose years of hearing and seeings things has just built it up. Countering this was my unbelievable love of musicals and Alan Rickman. Eventually, they won out, and I ended up seeing not only the movie, but the broadway play and Pocket Sandwich Theatre penny dreadful production. Ironically, its one of my favorite musicals of all time, if I don't think about it.
Supernatural basically has everything I'm terrified of all rolled into one convenient package. Yet, I can't get it off my mind. I like the idea, because I'm not inherently afraid of supernatural creatures. In fact, I'm quite taken with them, and the idea of two weirdly co-dependent brothers driving down the interstate in their classic car listening to their classic rock and hunting monsters is appealing to me. It's the gore that bothers me, especially since the two main characters, Sam and Dean Winchester, face off against every kind of horrifying bloodthirsty beast imagineable, and half the time they're some sort of cannibalistic being. I know it'd be a struggle for me to get through the series, and yet I so desire to see it, its driving me insane.
I imagine I'll give in and just do my best to not be affected. I'll close my eyes and enjoy the moments sans-carnage and fawn over how incredibly attractive Jensen Ackles and Jared Padelecki are and everything will be just fine. I won't be able to let it go otherwise.
This was pretty much the driving force of my obsession: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsyMtYoSkC0
There's a Drumming Noise Inside my Head
Do you know of Florence + the Machine? I find their music to be quite powerful. The way they mix it makes it sound like Florence is a one woman choir. She produces an unbreakable wall of sound, and the effect it has on their meaningful lyrics is magical. Florence's voice has an operatic quality and is very strong, almost bursting, something you wouldn't expect from a girl with such a tiny speaking voice. I particularly relate to the raw power of Drumming Song, a song detailing the emotion that overcomes a person when they see someone they love or lust after. It's a feeling I know all too well, and the desparate sounding music coupled with the lyrics are gripping.
I feel like her songs put me in a trance like state. They overpower my senses completely, and turning them up to drown out all other sound is a religious experience. I would very much like to see them in concert. Surely, a sound such as theirs would draw me in completely, until I forgot where I was and just focused on the thoughts and feelings their music triggers.
Here's the link for Drumming Song. The music video is one of the most beautiful I've ever seen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpLXQorSQe8
I feel like her songs put me in a trance like state. They overpower my senses completely, and turning them up to drown out all other sound is a religious experience. I would very much like to see them in concert. Surely, a sound such as theirs would draw me in completely, until I forgot where I was and just focused on the thoughts and feelings their music triggers.
Here's the link for Drumming Song. The music video is one of the most beautiful I've ever seen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpLXQorSQe8
Vampirism and True Love
My second Vampire Paper. I also created an eHarmony profile as a Culture Jamming project, which is further detailed in the paper. I'm pretty sure the account is now defunct, though I did get quite a few hits despite the disturbing nature of the profile. What idiots.
Meredith Hershey
Professor Herndon
Literature 3312.S001
31 August 2010
Vampirism and True Love
The modern Vampire as society knows it is a dark, brooding and mysterious being with a fickle nature and excessive emotional baggage. Though they tend to be extremely passionate and romantic, they are often portrayed with an overwhelming desire to micromanage their lover’s lives out of some notion-conscious or not-of superiority. These are hardly positive traits, and yet vampires are romanticized to such an extent that hardly anyone notices the abusive qualities of the relationships presented in stories like Twilight and the Vampire Diaries. They have become the perfect examples of a perfect relationship to a whole generation of people. In order to satirize and bring to light the preposterousness of such ideals, I have put together an eHarmony dating site profile highlighting all of the supposed desirable qualities one might look for in their vampire mate.
The reason for the unorthodox choice of creating a fake dating profile was to bring to light the presumably obvious problems with the vampire worship that society has chosen to ignore. Hoards of pre-teen girls and middle aged women have fallen head over heels in love with the vampire romantic interests presented to them in titles like the Twilight Series, the Vampire Diaries and True Blood. These vampires are nearly always men, and they are always described as pallid, emotional, and perfect. Their human girlfriends are always pretty but insecure, especially when the story is in a high school setting or in some way involves young adult characters. They are presented as meek and lonely, and when they meet their undead boyfriends, they cling to them desperately, often letting the vampire suck their blood, control their lives, or generally walk all over them.
The issue with these types of stories and vampires in general is that superficially, they may seem like perfect romantic relationships, but they are really quite unhealthy. Since their inception, vampires have been metaphors of tragedy, disease and misfortune. They were the creatures hiding around corners and in dark alleys. Their reliance on others for sustenance made them, in essence, parasites. Now that vampires have ascended to romantic hero status, their stalking and abusive behaviors have become acceptable within the context of the story. Edward from the Twilight Series for example, admits to his girlfriend that he has sat in her bedroom and watched her sleep since they met, an action that would never fly in reality. Yet, neither Bella nor Edward finds anything wrong with it. This behavior is a criminal offense, but because Edward is a superhuman being, he gets away with it, a common theme in vampire lore. In addition to draining the life of their loved ones, often without any thought of the repercussions, they manipulate them, intentionally or not, with both their physical appearance and actions. The undead heroes share disturbing similarities to real life perpetrators of domestic violence, something that fans of vampire romance novels don’t seem to recognize.
The eHarmony profile, chosen for its supposedly sanctimonious and thorough matching process, was a satirical attempt to make these similarities glaringly apparent. The persona was a beautiful blonde woman named Claudia Harker and she was looking for an undead lover. Her required qualities were a possessive nature, emotional baggage, and a lust for blood. She had no interest in friends or family, and she was fully happy to spend the rest of her hopefully eternal life mooning over a pale, unrealistically handsome man. This fake identity was modeled after the typical vampire novel heroine. Her shallow and almost disturbing qualities, such as her lack of interest in anything but her potential boyfriend and extreme submissive personality, are meant to clarify what exactly is wrong with the types of women who fall in love with vampires. These heroines are crippled in their characterization. They are made to be helpless little girls who cannot live without their blood-sucking boyfriends. Naturally, they often have horrific encounters with rival vampires which end in them being gruesomely injured, but never seem to learn from these incidents, ending up in the same situation again and again. Vampire novel heroines are victims of their centuries-old lover’s outdated notions on how women should be treated, and many of them mistake attempts to dictate their lives as love. The vampire himself tends to explain away his possessive behavior as trying to protect his “true love” from the outside world. Vampires are described in nearly every incarnation as superior to humans in looks, strength and intelligence, resulting in vampire heroes coming off as patronizing to their human girlfriends rather than caring.
The fictional vampire is fundamentally a domestic abuser. Claudia Harker was essentially asking for a man to take advantage of her in every way, and while she may seem like a silly caricature of a brainless vampire fangirl, she is no different from popular characters like Bella, whom many young girls idolize. As it is presented to them today, a typical relationship with a man involves being weak-willed and clumsy so that he will be drawn to their inability to take care of themselves and swoop in to protect them. Many vampire stories involve the vampire being afraid of injuring or even killing his girlfriend, and yet his love for her is too great to stay away, leaving the impression that causing physical pain, directly or indirectly, is not only forgivable, but just an unfortunate side effect of being in love.
Stepping back from the similarities to domestic violence, the relationship between vampires and humans in the popular media are just too superficial. Twilight, the biggest offender of these inappropriate messages presents you with a couple of teenagers who meet, and in a whirlwind of theatrics, form a bond they immediately classify as a love so strong, no other relationships can compare. There are no examples of Bella and Edward having any other connection other than a love for Muse and a physical attraction. Bella and Edward don’t do anything but proclaim their love for each other. They don’t go on dates, they don’t have friends outside of Edward’s family and the third party love interest, and they rush into marriage, parenthood and eternal life immediately after high school. There is no deeper connection. Claudia Harker’s eHarmony profile includes a desire for an over-the-top yet baseless romance in order to emphasize the shallow relationships illustrated in vampire romance.
The eHarmony dating profile was created as a way to showcase the disturbing concepts vampire novels encourage. Claudia Harker is a victim of domestic abuse, she has a misguided notion of what true love is, and were she a real person, she would undoubtedly end up in trouble, with real life “vampires”. Yet, fans of the modern vampire romance have yet to recognize this woman in their idols. They don’t recognize the parasitic nature of vampires, and if they truly believe that sucking someone’s blood passionately from their neck signifies love, they are doomed to make the same mistakes as the women in the novels they admire.
Drake's Deception
http://www.gametrailers.com/video/vga-10-uncharted-3/708329
This may be the best Christmas present I've ever received. It's a trailer for Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception. Can a woman die of happiness from the triumphant return of her most beloved fictional treasure hunter? I may come close when this title drops, and I certainly won't be the only one. It looks absolutely fantastic. The scenery is lush. The suspense is immediate. The gameplay looks exciting. Honestly, I've wondered if its even possible to top the absolute perfection of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, but if any game could, it's this one. I long to be reunited with cynical explorer/hottie extraordinaire Nathan Drake and his plucky sidekick/new girlfriend Elena Fisher. He, a streetwise and wise-cracking guy seeking his fortune while breaking every law possible. She, a crack reporter ready and willing to shoot anything that tries to hurt her friends, but unwilling to drop her camera under any circumstances. Together they make an ace team, and that leads to a seriously satisfying gameplay experience. The action is high octane, the dialogue is top knotch, and Nate and Elena are really hot. If you haven't checked out the first two, do it now. If you've played, get ready for a long year of waiting.
This may be the best Christmas present I've ever received. It's a trailer for Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception. Can a woman die of happiness from the triumphant return of her most beloved fictional treasure hunter? I may come close when this title drops, and I certainly won't be the only one. It looks absolutely fantastic. The scenery is lush. The suspense is immediate. The gameplay looks exciting. Honestly, I've wondered if its even possible to top the absolute perfection of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, but if any game could, it's this one. I long to be reunited with cynical explorer/hottie extraordinaire Nathan Drake and his plucky sidekick/new girlfriend Elena Fisher. He, a streetwise and wise-cracking guy seeking his fortune while breaking every law possible. She, a crack reporter ready and willing to shoot anything that tries to hurt her friends, but unwilling to drop her camera under any circumstances. Together they make an ace team, and that leads to a seriously satisfying gameplay experience. The action is high octane, the dialogue is top knotch, and Nate and Elena are really hot. If you haven't checked out the first two, do it now. If you've played, get ready for a long year of waiting.
Flying Off into the Sunset on Broomsticks
O' Harry Potter. When the last movie comes out, no boy will be missed more than you. Your lightning scar shall be tattooed on the bodies of many a fangirl. Your name will be spoken by many a young adult, reminiscing of the time when they were children, and they opened their Christmas present to reveal the story of your admittance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and the magical adventures you had there.
When the final curtain drops, I too shall be in mourning. Perhaps then, I shall write a rather long letter to you, Harry Potter, telling you what you've done for me. I assure you, you've done more than you can possibly imagine.
I suppose this would be a fitting time for a Mischief Managed
When the final curtain drops, I too shall be in mourning. Perhaps then, I shall write a rather long letter to you, Harry Potter, telling you what you've done for me. I assure you, you've done more than you can possibly imagine.
I suppose this would be a fitting time for a Mischief Managed
The Cultural Significance of the Vampire
Here's my first paper for Lit Class:
Meredith Hershey
Professor Herndon
Literature 3312.S001
31 August 2010
The Cultural Significance of the Vampire
Vampires are some of the most recognized and loved cultural symbols in the world. Described as bloodsucking creatures of the night, these fictional beings have experienced a huge surge in popularity, with everything from books to television focusing on them. Though they’ve been talked about for hundreds of years, it’s only now that they’ve become widely accepted as a significant part of today’s society.
The legend of a being that sucks the life force out of a person is as old as man itself, but the term vampire didn’t crop up until the 18th century. At the time, Gothic literature was on the rise and during a particularly long winter, a man named John Polidori wrote the first vampire novel, aptly titled The Vampyre. It was the dawning of a long history of vampire literature, influencing famous titles such as Brom Stoker’s Dracula, the most famous vampire novel of all time.
The vampire seems to have at first been created from fear. They were described as evil heartless creatures that stalked helpless women and drained them of their blood. Often a shadowy figure, the vampire seemed to be a personification of disease, misfortune and death. Today’s vampire however seems to have become more developed. Beginning with Anne Rice’s Interview with a Vampire, authors and filmmakers have begun to show a more human side to vampires. The modern vampire is a victim of tragic circumstances, a Byronic hero who longs for a way to be free of their nightmarish curse. Often they fall in love with a human and must face the challenges of age, mortality and the overwhelming desire to drink their beloved’s blood.
It’s this type of vampire that has become the subject of a recent phenomenon. Though they’d always been popular is some circles, the vampire craze has taken off since the release of Twilight by Stephanie Meyer in 2005. The troubled Edward Cullen spoke to many an adolescent girl, as well as a surprising number of middle aged women. In today’s mainstream, he seems to have been accepted as the “perfect man”, a sure sign of what society values in a potential mate today. The vampires is Twilight have been “de-fanged” or toned down in terms of violence in order to appeal to a wide variety of people. Other media such as the Southern Vampire Novel series by Charlaine Harris and its corresponding TV program True Blood glorify the vampire, blood and all, often showcasing the main character Sookie having relationships with several of them, with varying results. Society today seems to have accepted the vampire as a hero or romantic interest rather than the villain of yesterday, having gone so far as to trivialize their murderous tendencies. This raises a number of questions. Why has a previously evil bloodsucking fiend evolved into a heroic character archetype? Why has such a trend started? How does the change reflect our desires? The idea of vampirism is not a pretty one, and yet they are so beloved that it seems every new piece of media involves them in some way. It’s a reflection of who we are now as a civilization, but what does it mean? These are questions one must look into when they consider the vampire.
The vampire has evolved with the times, but the recent craze has been the first time they’ve reached such a level of popularity. Studies will have to be conducted to fully understand why they’ve become so loved and what it means.
Those Were the Days
What happened to my love of anime? When I was young, I used to go crazy over the latest series. I watched 26 episode series in a day, waited agonizing over the newest episodes of ones that weren't finished yet, and spent night after night on the angelfire websites of old, reading character bios and badly written fanfiction. Now, its less and less of that every season.
It's not that I dislike anime. I'm still an expert. I still go to anime conventions and have a great time. I still read manga, and watch a series here or there. Its just that I'm jaded to it. I used to think all anime was cool. I'd watch anything that caught my eye and see it through to the last episode. Now, I can hardly get through an a 12-episode series. A 26-episode or multi-season series is almost asking too much. I can't concentrate. Even with anime I love, I get distracted. Maybe I skip an episode one week and then I'm thrown off track.
My horizons have significantly expanded. Now, instead of spending all my time drowning in anime, I read american comics and books. I watch television and movies, and I greatly enjoy the arts. I have lots of friends with lots of different interests, and I dabble in a lot of their hobbies as well. My world has broadened to include improv, dungeons and dragons, concerts, art galleries and language. I guess anime, while always in my heart, will have to move over to squeeze a bunch of other stuff in.
Fyi, my favorite anime and manga will always be one called Aria and its prequel Aqua. A more peaceful, wonderful manga there is not.
It's not that I dislike anime. I'm still an expert. I still go to anime conventions and have a great time. I still read manga, and watch a series here or there. Its just that I'm jaded to it. I used to think all anime was cool. I'd watch anything that caught my eye and see it through to the last episode. Now, I can hardly get through an a 12-episode series. A 26-episode or multi-season series is almost asking too much. I can't concentrate. Even with anime I love, I get distracted. Maybe I skip an episode one week and then I'm thrown off track.
My horizons have significantly expanded. Now, instead of spending all my time drowning in anime, I read american comics and books. I watch television and movies, and I greatly enjoy the arts. I have lots of friends with lots of different interests, and I dabble in a lot of their hobbies as well. My world has broadened to include improv, dungeons and dragons, concerts, art galleries and language. I guess anime, while always in my heart, will have to move over to squeeze a bunch of other stuff in.
Fyi, my favorite anime and manga will always be one called Aria and its prequel Aqua. A more peaceful, wonderful manga there is not.
Memories are Manila
I love paper. You know why? I'm an artist, and a writer, and in my opinion there's nothing more valuble than paper. Why you can use it to draw on! You can use it to write on! You can use it to print words and pictures on! You can give people papercuts! There's so many useful things you can do with paper, so why is it that we use less and less?
I guess its a good thing, to save trees. Its just a little sad. For someone who views paper as a precious resource, seeing it go away is depressing. I think about how many centuries of information has gone on to paper. How many people have told their stories or drawn their pictures or written their music on paper. To see it all go away with the advent of the internet and mobile phones and tablets breaks my heart a little. I'm sure its for the best. If there's a smaller demand for paper, there will be fewer trees cut down.
Still...fifty years from now, will we look back on paper and think of it as a silly invention from an uncivilized society? Will paper just be a memory?
I guess its a good thing, to save trees. Its just a little sad. For someone who views paper as a precious resource, seeing it go away is depressing. I think about how many centuries of information has gone on to paper. How many people have told their stories or drawn their pictures or written their music on paper. To see it all go away with the advent of the internet and mobile phones and tablets breaks my heart a little. I'm sure its for the best. If there's a smaller demand for paper, there will be fewer trees cut down.
Still...fifty years from now, will we look back on paper and think of it as a silly invention from an uncivilized society? Will paper just be a memory?
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