June 2012
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Most of the really, really good magicians I’ve found on the internet are really huge assholes. Magic is not so different from a lot of things, being self-critical will help you get better and the hyper-critical are really good. But there is a huge difference from being hyper-critical and just being an asshole. I believe in being hyper-critical, I don’t believe in being an asshole. It’s kind of the same thing with grammar nazis, yeah you may be right but you’re an asshole so who cares? It eventually devolves into an “everyone is a hack except for me” attitude, and it’s really sad. It’s really sad because here you have someone who is obviously very dedicated and knowledgeable, but it’s like he’s throwing all that hard work away by being so abrasive. It’s like someone who spends their entire life building a gigantic, beautiful library filled with thousands of books, but decides to burn it down because not enough people said “hello” when they walked in.
What bugs me the most is it seems a lot of really expert magicians seem to have this same attitude. Maybe that is what makes them great? Maybe it’s why I never will be?
It’s just been bugging me. It’s been bugging me partly because it’s the total opposite from the way I want to be, but if I stick to this hobby I’ll eventually have to deal with them. I’m kind of ready to settle on a hobby. I’ll never settle totally on anything, but I want this to be a primary use of free time that is not otherwise occupied. I feel like I’ve been chased around by enough assholes, but I’m still not looking forward to dealing with them.
you’re not allowed to like the things i like because i hate you
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Looks like I missed the drawing, but oh well. Read up chaps, especially if your Dad wasn’t as dapper as you wish to be.
My love of suits is hampered only by my hatred of wearing cloths I have to be concerned about. I don’t always want to climb into drainage ditch or up a tree, but if I do I hate the feeling of being prevented by cloths that would be expensive to repair. Some times you don’t want to, some times you just need to changed a tire.
“Don't quit your show.”
A couple of days ago I was listening to an audience recording of a Dave Chappelle standup show in Dallas. He did a little bit about being asked to give advice to high school students:
I guess, whatever you do, don’t quit your show. Don’t quit your show. Life is very hard without a show, kids.
It reminded me of this great dialogue from Joan Rivers’ appearance on Louie. Joan is giving Louie career advice after he tells her he quit his casino gig:
What do you mean you quit? Nobody quits. Are you crazy? Are you a trust-fund baby, that you quit? This is not an easy business… I mean, you got a job. How lucky are you, for goodness sake? Look at the perks you’re getting. You’ve got a job. You got a card for the free food in the employee cafeteria. I mean, stop bitching and go buy yourself a pocketbook that’s lined in plastic and throw food in when they’re not looking. You know what’s wrong with you guys? You don’t know when you’re lucky. Appreciate where you are, for God’s sakes.
In her Fresh Air interview, she explained:
In our business, you do not quit. I told Deborah Norville once, who’s a very good friend of mine, you’re holding on to the ladder. When they cut off your hands, hold on with your elbow. You know, when they cut off your arms, hold on with your teeth. You don’t quit because you don’t know where the next job is coming from.
Know when you’re lucky. Know it goes up and it goes down. Keep going.
- Me: When we get our own place, I'm getting back in shape even if it kills me.
- Erica: Don't do that, then you'll be less in shape than ever.
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Every once in a while something comes along and makes some of those things you read about in a gender studies class make more sense. Brave has become that. My impression was the it was a great movie with a great story and great characters, my only complaint being that it seemed really fast paced and was over too soon. Skipping around the internet I’ve discovered that I missed like 5 or 6 levels of dynamics that every girl picked up on, with every girl that had issues with their mom picking up on more, and every girl that had issues with their mom picking up on mom with curly hair picked up on the most.
I missed all that stuff. It’s been on of those things that reminds me that no matter how much I read, investigate, or have it explained to me about gender issues, particularity issues facing women.
By the way, Skepchick did a nice write up on it.
In the next week.
I somehow have to find time to do tons and tons of laundry, pack for ten days, secure all travel paperwork, find a fucking wig to make me looking Dee Snider, participate in a charity spelling bee, clean my kitchen, and go out with this boy who asked me out and I said yes because he correctly uses semi-colons.
Damnit, how did my life get this much less awesome in only 9 months?
Says little Ms. I-went-to-Paris-and-Spain-in-the-same-trip-and-soon-I-will-also-go-to-Iceland-and-in-the-mean-time-I-will-be-making-cheese-my-friends-sent-me-in-the-mail.