Happy Halloween!
Ominous Shadow says hello!
Ominous Shadow says hello!
Posted by DK at 07:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Today I got my new driver license. I thought my last one had a bad picture. Noooo. I long for the days of my old driver license (sure, it's only been one day, but it seems like an eternity...). In my old picture I looked like a gray-skinned zombie caught in a state of perpetual surprise. Now I look worse. I'm an older and fat (er) gray zombie with a light orange tinge to add to the horrendous effect. After looking at other people's driver licenses I'm now convinced the DMV specializes in this, "zombie-chic" photography. Arggghh...
Adding to my frustration: the new iMac G5 with its little remote control that works only with devices that have an IR receiver. I was talking to a friend about this just the other day when we were talking about which iPod I should buy (I'm still trying to decide). It's happening too much with Apple nowadays. One buys something and then a month later they release the upgraded version of what you just bought or they offer some kind of rebate or a new feature or what have you. It happened to me when I bought my computer. (And it would've happened to me again had I bought my iPod when I planned on getting it.)
Now this. I thought maybe out of consideration for "older" iMac owners they might have made the little remote bluetooth enabled or something. It's not really a big deal, but it would be kinda cool if I could watch movies in bed and not have to get up to put up the volume. They better come up with one that works on my computer soon or I'm telling.
Posted by DK at 06:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
César Vallejo by Picasso I have attempted to translate a poem by César Vallejo. It's a poem that I really love because it is raw and truthful and after you're done reading it you're breathless and the words are hanging, ringing in the air. It's a dark poem really, but it doesn't pretend to be anything. It doesn't pretend to be some great revelation and you can't feel in it that weird excitement that you sense in some poetry when the poet can barely contain themselves because they think they're onto something... Not that it's a bad thing, but I like it the other way.
The translation of anything, especially poetry is very tricky. First of all, it's difficult to try to convey the feel of a poem; its meaning, pace and cadence in the translation will never match the original exactly, in my opinion. Then again, it's all very subjective because what I feel when I read it is not what someone else feels, or even what the poet intended. As they say, it'll speak differently to different people at different times. So anyhoo, first the poem in its original language and then the translation which I hope is not tooooo terrible (for those of you who speak both).
Los Heraldos Negros
Hay golpes en la vida, tan fuertes ... Yo no sé!
Golpes como del odio de Dios; como si ante ellos,
la resaca de todo lo sufrido
se empozara en el alma... Yo no sé!
Son pocos; pero son... Abren zanjas obscuras
en el rostro más fiero y en el lomo más fuerte.
Serán talvez los potros de bárbaros atilas;
o los heraldos negros que nos manda la Muerte.
Son las caídas hondas de los Cristos del alma,
de alguna fe adorable que el Destino blasfema.
Esos golpes sangrientos son las crepitaciones
de algún pan que en la puerta del horno se nos quema.
Y el hombre... Pobre... pobre! Vuelve los ojos, como
cuando por sobre el hombro nos llama una palmada;
vuelve los ojos locos, y todo lo vivido
se empoza, como un charco de culpa, en la mirada.
Hay golpes en la vida, tan fuertes... Yo no sé!
The Black Heralds
There are blows in life, so hard... I don't know!
Blows as if from God's hatred; as if before them,
the undertow of everything suffered
would pool in the soul... I don't know!
They are few, but they are... they open dark furrows
in the fiercest face and in the strongest back.
They are perhaps, the colts of barbaric Atilas
or the black heralds sent to us by Death.
They are the deep falls of the Christs of the soul,
Of some adored faith that destiny blasphemes.
Those bloodstained blows are the crackling
of bread that burns at the oven's door.
And man, poor.... poor! Turns his eyes around
like when someone pats us on the shoulder;
he turns his crazed eyes and all that was lived
pools, like a puddle of guilt, in his gaze.
There are blows in life, so hard... I don't know!
Posted by DK at 02:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
My roomate's scholarly knowledge of the life and times of Alexander the Great is really impressive. She has amassed a collection of books on the topic ranging from historical accounts of his life (..."the sources"...) and historical fiction, to books on military strategy and logistics. And yes, she has read all of them. I know, because she tells me about all she's learned. (as for me, "I'm trying to learn for free") She even went and ordered Dr. Jeanne Zimmerman's dissertation on Alexander's relationship to his lifelong "friend" (hehe, I just had to...) Hephaistion and his role in Alexander's court and army.
Today, she checked the ATG (Alexander the Great, for those in the know... wink, wink) forums she lurks in and someone had posted a note about a US News & World Report special issue on conquerors. Unfortunately, the articles are not available online, you have to order them if you want to read them.
She was pissed off. And I don't mean just a bit annoyed. She was making angry noises, like "rrrrrrggghhgh!!". Turns out the article seemed to take an anti-ATG stance. We then started talking about how the tendency nowadays is to vilify different aspects of Western culture and very often unquestioningly praise non-Western cultures. I don't know if that's really the best way to deal with all that guilt. In the articles in question, ATG was presented as a bloodthirsty hacker and slasher of the innocent, while Attila the Hun on the other hand, was being portrayed as a sweet kindergarten teacher who just wanted all the children to share their toys with one another. Her anger was not really directed at the anti-ATG statements, it was more at the fact that objectivity was being claimed where there clearly was none.
The mere act of conquering lands is not a pretty thing, no ruler has ever walked in and said "please join us, but if you don't want to that's ok, we'll leave you alone" so the forcible take over of nations is what conquering is all about. Of course, I don't condone it, but all I'm saying is that kings like Alexander the Great lived more than 2,000 years ago and in his case, the mindset of the times was more like the Iliad where the quest for honor and glory was a noble pursuit. Certainly, if those actions took place today, they would at the very least be seen as reprehensible. I believe it's good to review certain historical issues and accounts for accuracy and perhaps for the author to provide an opinion as well. However, no historical accounts are impartial, and even those who claim they are being objective cannot deny their writing on an issue so controversial as is the "greatness" of Alexander the Great is not streaked with their own political and cultural beliefs.
Glad to report that after our talk, roomate is happier---Urge to rant fading...fading...
Posted by DK at 05:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
album cover I ran across this cool collection of yé-yé songs. The album was released earlier this year by Silva America. They have a catalog of other film scores, soundtracks and compilations, but for some reason this album does not appear on the list. One of my favorites so far is "La Porte à Côté" (Christine Delaroche). Her voice is soothing and natural-- mellow baroque-pop. Other cool tracks are "Saperlipopette" and "Et Moi, Et Toi, Et Soie" (Clothilde).
Finding this album has been a nice break from the usual stuff I listen to. What do I usually listen to you ask? Well, I listen to almost everything, except for country which always ends up making me want to cry. (I'm not kidding, have you heard that song about the guy, who talks to a guy, who was about to die, and then he's all "live like it was your last day" or something like that?-- sad stuff...) Although Bonnie Raitt does rock.
I love opera though. I know, I know, "o-pera" (insert snooty accent). But really, the more you find out about it the more you'll love it. Opera does tend to be one of those things that people either love or hate. One of the greatest operas ever written of course, is Don Giovanni. For anyone who has seen the movie "Amadeus", you might recall how Don Giovanni was presented as a sort of window into the mind of a tortured and delusional Mozart. Actually, Don Giovanni is a comedy (based on Don Juan). And a very funny one at that. I also like Turandot by Puccini. You should hear me sing "Signore Ascolta!" But then again, it's probably a good thing that you can't.
Posted by DK at 09:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Weird little thing happened today. My best friend and I were walking downtown heading towards campus right after lunch. We walked up the street generally lined with punk kids sitting around with their dogs asking for spare change for a beer. As we were walking past an older looking guy he goes "Girls! spare any panties?" I kinda turned my head a bit ready to give him a nasty look but the guy's face made me start laughing instead. He looked so cheerful and expectant.... sure, that's what I carry around in my pocket... I guess nowadays spare change is just not enough.
Posted by DK at 10:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
When I was in LA last week, I ended up staying at a rather questionable motel near the Financial District. I had not been able to make reservations in advance since it was a last minute decision so I had to rely on the good judgement of the various taxi drivers lining the street outside Union Station. They debated each other over which hotels were located in safe neighborhoods. I stood there trying to look pleasant but feeling a bit uneasy since I couldn't understand what they were saying but especially because the only phrase I could understand was something that sounded like "take them to devil motel!, take them to devil motel!".
I was not particularly thrilled when the smiling taxicab driver swung his door open for us to get in and offered to take us to the "devil motel" for a flat fee. Fortunately, it turned out to be the Motel DeVille, but despite its fancy sounding name the devil motel was anything but. It's not like I need all kinds of luxuries to be happy, but this place was more than a little sketchy. (no, really. There was a printout hanging on the wall above the clerk's head which read "Absolutely No Prostitution") That's what we get for wanting to see the museums... Needless to say, I barred the door with our luggage and two chairs from inside the room. And if the dresser hadn't been bolted to the floor, I'd have pushed it in front of that door too. Ah, good times in LA.
In the morning we headed out to take a walk down Figueroa Street to look for a rental car place. At the corner of Figueroa and 7th St. (I think) is the Ernst & Young building. There was this cool looking statue/sculpture of a business man with his head stuck in the concrete building. That side view is what I aaw when I was coming up the street, it looks pretty weird, doesn't it?
View from behind
It looks very cool from behind. This is more of a close-up so you can see the texture a little better if you click on the thumbnail. I've found out this sculpture is part of LA's Poet's Walk located in the area of Figueroa and 7th St. I was so eager to rent a car and drive away from devil motel that I didn't even think to look around the area.
Below is a picture of the plaque located on the ground behind the sculpture. It's pretty legible if you click on the thumbnail, but I wrote out the text next to the image anyway.
Plaque behind sculptureThey said I had a head
for business.
They said
to get ahead
I had to lose
my head.
They said
be concrete
& I became
concrete.
They said,
go, my son,
multiply,
divide, conquer.
I did my best.
It was written by Philip Levine and the sculpture is called "Corporate Head" by artist Terry Allen.
Posted by DK at 09:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
I took an Amtrak train (Coast Starlight) down to LA on Saturday. The train was supposed to leave Emeryville at 8am, so I got myself up at 5:30am to catch a 6:45am bus to the station since I couldn't take my car. Turns out the train was delayed 2 hours. The wait was not as bad as I thought it was going to be, especially once I got some caffeine. We arrived in LA around 11pm, so we decided to stay the night and then drive out to Palm Springs in the morning. That also gave us a chance to go see the Tutankhamun exhibit at the LACMA.
Here's a picture of the passing scenery.
Traveling by train is something I think everyone should do if they have a chance. It's an entirely different and very enjoyable experience. For starters, a leisurely train ride isn't infused with all the stress that is inevitably attached to the whole airport experience. If you take a train to LA, that means you pretty much have the whole day to spare. That was the mood at the train station, lazy and relaxed. Despite the fact that the train was delayed 2 hours, people were sitting around calmly waiting to board and making conversation with one another. I can't remember the last time I had a conversation with someone while waiting to board a flight.
I traveled with my cousin and aunt so we got one of those family rooms that span the whole width of the car and allowed us to watch cows go by on either side. yay. We also met an interesting guy from Seattle who joined us for lunch. Apparently, he dislikes the way people are treated when flying and prefers the very friendly train staff.
Another picture: (I think the train was near San Luis Obispo)
I did take some more pictures, but I still have to get those resized in order to post them. I'm trying to work on a "recent images" side bar thingy, but errr...I'm having a little trouble.
Posted by DK at 10:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
There is a sculpture on campus that resembles the Death Star (I'm sure to instill fear in the hearts of unsuspecting freshmen--a sort of "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here" for the techy generation). I haven't spotted a plaque explaining the huge copper ball but I think I prefer not to know. It's quite big, about 5ft. in diameter and it's kinda cool looking despite its ominous Hellraiser-like appearance.
This is what it looks like from the side. It's one of those things you can spend some time looking at and it still seems interesting. I was tempted to stick my arm in there and touch the inside but then again, I might not get it back. Pictures don't do it justice, that creepy I'm-sure-this-is-a-gateway-to-another-dimension-no-don't-touch-it feel it has doesn't truly come through.
This is the inside, and it's evil.
Posted by DK at 06:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
I think this one is my favorite one. It was unexpected. This picture was the last one I took that morning because the light was getting "muddier" since the sun was about to be hidden by the rainclouds. I thought nothing of it when I took it, I didn't even bother to write down my camera settings at all. When I printed it though, I ended up really loving it. I only made two prints, one for myself and one to give someone else. It has a melancholy feel to it, it feels like an old picture, like it tells a story, like it's a still moment in someone's life. Hm, I just realized that's what it is, isn't it.
Another picture taken around Lake Merritt. I'm not sure what the building is called (I should check). The water is actually not the lake itself, but a flooded bocce ball field. I was out there taking advantage of the first dry morning after a couple of days of steady rain. It was a bit tricky to try to get into position to take the shot, as the little field was surrounded by small rivers of rain rushing downhill.
Posted by DK at 07:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
This is one of the pictures I took earlier this year. I've always liked taking pictures so I thought I'd take a class and get some formal instruction in that area. I like to take pictures of people mostly, but for obvious reasons I'm not posting those up. I do sometimes alter pictures in Photoshop, but I don't really like to do that. Sometimes rough around the edges is nice too.
Posted by DK at 06:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Very awesome! As far as I can tell from the trailer, one can use Vergil as a playable character in this DMC 3 Special Edition. (site is in Japanese) The trailer also hints at some of Vergil's moves that might be available in this version. Sounds promising. I hope there is a US release planned sometime soon.
Posted by DK at 05:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
I've been trying to transfer things to this area. I have things scattered in so many places it's proving to be a more difficult task than I had thought. I'm working on my "unfinished short stories" section, but so far I've only uploaded (but not published...) the Assassin Monkey story. I have also been working on photos that I'm going to put up, but since some of them require scanning, that's taking a bit long as well. On top of that, 3 midterms this week...arrrrr
I am looking forward to my upcoming train trip though. I'm going to be traveling in a nice private room (yes, how fancy of me, I know...). It's an 11 hour trip down the coast of California. I will post some pictures :-)
Posted by DK at 04:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
I stopped by Peet's Coffee to load up on one of their mocha freddo things and I saw a parked car with just one bumper sticker in the back which read "DIE, TAILGATER SCUM!" I thought that was pretty funny. Especially because the car was covered in nice pastel hippie flowers...
Posted by DK at 06:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)