Don't worry--there will not be any "Werth" puns in this entry.
The state of Philly professional sports over the past couple of weeks has given me something to reflect on, and I take this next entry to humble myself before you and admit that my "adamant" opinions on certain things (namely, sports) are much more pliable than they may seem. Here is what I have found. . .
1. I don't "really" draw the line at killing dogs. Nobody was more disappointed than I (except maybe local ASPCA members) at Eagles signing of Michael Vick two off-seasons ago. I hated talking about it (but did so anyway), but when I did, I explained that, after committing the horrible atrocities Vick was sentenced to jail for, a man should not be given a second chance at being a multi-million dollar role model. I believed he served his time for what he did, but he wasted the one and only opportunity to be a national role model the way a star QB is. I barked (pun intended) when he was put in plays last season, and it broke my heart when Reid announced that Vick would be the starter this season. But at the end of the day, he's playing a hell of a quarterback, and I've been an Eagles fan for too long to care if he tortured and killed dogs after every snap. I'm not a Vick fan, but I am an Eagles fan, and despite my attempts to turn my back on the team that did this to him, I just cannot. I do not think Vick redeemed himself as a person by being a great QB (I heard such a notion on talk radio), but I can support him as a QB while he is playing so well. So no, I don't draw the line at torturing and killing dogs, as ungodly evil as that is. Would I still be a Steelers fan if Roethesburger was convicted of raping a girl? I don't know. What if I were a Ravens fan and Ray Lewis was convicted of killing a man? I can honestly say I do not know. I thought I was better than that. I thought my principles were stronger at the beginning of this offseason. Turns out. . . I just want my team to win a Superbowl.
2. $127 million is a lot of money. I don't see myself ever making such a sum, and I like to pretend that if I were to make anything remotely close to that, I would turn it down, knowing that such an income would make me jaded and spoil the thrill of living life. After all, some of my favorite of life's moments were moments when something as small as a banana made my day. I do believe that the more money you have, the value of many great things will decrease accordingly. Regardless, I'm pretty positive that I would do anything that didn't compromise those that I love if I were offered that obnoxious sum of money. Well, like what? Anyone who knows me knows that I am a very dedicated (and "dedicated" might be a nice word) Phillies fan. But if someone offered me $127 million over 7 years just to cheer for the Nationals, I can't see me turning that down, even if I know they will come in last place every year. AND I DON'T EVEN WANT THE MONEY. Now if a ballplayer (especially one who DOES want the money) was offered that to cheer (and play) for a losing team, can you honestly blame him? I'm sure if he had his "druthers," he'd like to win a little bit too, but as Marlon Brando might say if he didn't want to get noticed on the street, "They made him an offer he couldn't turn down."
3. I honestly don't care about hockey until the playoffs are on. I've been watching the Sixers a lot more than the Flyers, and the Sixers honestly suck. The Flyers are in first place, and the Sixers have no idea how to win a basketball game--their five "wins" seemed to have come by accident. Last season, as I watched the hockey playoffs, I told myself I would make a legitimate attempt to watch the hometown team during the season. But alas, every time somebody talks about the Flyers, I regurgitate what I read on the Philly Inquirer headlines and then nod my head like a Richard Nixon bobble-head doll (slightly modeled after an exaggerated version of the way he moved his own head). So to all those Phillies front-runners that I secretly get angry with during the playoffs, I'm sorry. I'm one of you. At least I can take solace in the fact that I only know like 3 or 4 actual Flyers fans anyway, and none of you hold a candle to my Phillies obsession, bitchazzz! (Yes, I'm actually bragging about a very unhealthy obsession).
Anyway, I'll stop there for now. Feel free to share your own sentiments (even humbling ones) and experiences.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Words out of context
There is no secret to the power of words. They are the molecules of language, manipulated and built upon one another in countless structures to communicate our ideas, our feelings, our wants, needs, desires with one another.
They are, in a sense, the excuse we have for understanding one another without question, although, because we are all wonderfully human, this is not always true. For example, when someone says "I want cake," the language is intended for this to simply mean the person speaking this sentence does not have a large, iced pastry but desires that large, iced pastry. Yet, because we understand how the English language works, you would understand what I meant if I told you that, in a larger context, the person does not desire a large, iced pastry at all. In fact, since we see the statement out of context, it is in our rights to make our own assertions that the person does not want a large, iced pastry. We can make out own metaphors.
That's all I'll get into with that, but it relates to what I love about words. I love taking them out of context. Don't get me wrong, I also love a great story, and when words come together to from a complete and moving story, there might be no better demonstration of their power. But in this entry, I invite you to look at a sentence or quote out of context.
This isn't that novel of an idea. Nothing strengthens a good ole' fashioned speech like a famous quote. Quotes litter the Internet social media culture, particularly on facebook wallposts and twitter, where people try to convey a certain idea or feeling as best as possible with as few words as possible. What I love about these quotes, however, is that they tend to take on a meaning of their own out of context--or even several meanings.
In Natsume Soseki's novel The Three-Cornered World, the beautiful priestess Nami invited the narrator to open a text at random and read a portion out of context, understanding only that portion as it exists by itself. The characters did this together and, with one another, discovered an intrinsic beauty in the language.
I guess where I'm going with this is that I ask everyone reading this to do the same. Below, I've posted a few of my favorite quotes from books, songs, poems, or movies. I ask that you don't google them but rather appreciate them for what they look like by themselves. And if you want to post a comment, I ask that you do the same and post some of your favorite quotes out of context.
It is those we live with and love and should know who elude us.
Well then, I ought to suit you, dear. I'm corrupt to the bones.
All morning I watched the sky
from a place where I couldn't see it.
That's good thinking there, Cool Breeze.
Queen, I ain't seen you in a minute.
The blind man said, "We're drawing a cathedral. Me and him are working on it. Press hard," he said to me. "That's right. That's good," he said. "Sure you got it bub. I can tell. You didn't think you could. But you can, can't you? You're cooking with gas now. You know what I'm saying? We're going to really have us something here in a minute. How's that old arm?" he said. "Put some people in there now. What's a cathedral without people?"
Change your shirt, 'cause tonight we got style.
Heloise.
What?
I have to leave now.
No.
Yes.
They are, in a sense, the excuse we have for understanding one another without question, although, because we are all wonderfully human, this is not always true. For example, when someone says "I want cake," the language is intended for this to simply mean the person speaking this sentence does not have a large, iced pastry but desires that large, iced pastry. Yet, because we understand how the English language works, you would understand what I meant if I told you that, in a larger context, the person does not desire a large, iced pastry at all. In fact, since we see the statement out of context, it is in our rights to make our own assertions that the person does not want a large, iced pastry. We can make out own metaphors.
That's all I'll get into with that, but it relates to what I love about words. I love taking them out of context. Don't get me wrong, I also love a great story, and when words come together to from a complete and moving story, there might be no better demonstration of their power. But in this entry, I invite you to look at a sentence or quote out of context.
This isn't that novel of an idea. Nothing strengthens a good ole' fashioned speech like a famous quote. Quotes litter the Internet social media culture, particularly on facebook wallposts and twitter, where people try to convey a certain idea or feeling as best as possible with as few words as possible. What I love about these quotes, however, is that they tend to take on a meaning of their own out of context--or even several meanings.
In Natsume Soseki's novel The Three-Cornered World, the beautiful priestess Nami invited the narrator to open a text at random and read a portion out of context, understanding only that portion as it exists by itself. The characters did this together and, with one another, discovered an intrinsic beauty in the language.
I guess where I'm going with this is that I ask everyone reading this to do the same. Below, I've posted a few of my favorite quotes from books, songs, poems, or movies. I ask that you don't google them but rather appreciate them for what they look like by themselves. And if you want to post a comment, I ask that you do the same and post some of your favorite quotes out of context.
It is those we live with and love and should know who elude us.
Well then, I ought to suit you, dear. I'm corrupt to the bones.
All morning I watched the sky
from a place where I couldn't see it.
That's good thinking there, Cool Breeze.
Queen, I ain't seen you in a minute.
The blind man said, "We're drawing a cathedral. Me and him are working on it. Press hard," he said to me. "That's right. That's good," he said. "Sure you got it bub. I can tell. You didn't think you could. But you can, can't you? You're cooking with gas now. You know what I'm saying? We're going to really have us something here in a minute. How's that old arm?" he said. "Put some people in there now. What's a cathedral without people?"
Change your shirt, 'cause tonight we got style.
Heloise.
What?
I have to leave now.
No.
Yes.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Introduction
You're as lost as I am, but that might be the very basis that draws you to a weblog advertised to take part in the ineffable revolution.
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