I'd like to take this time to acknowledge a grave wrong I have committed and hopefully my apology can render remove some of the intense guilt and night-terrors I've received as a result of this grievous wrong.
In the past, I have frequently slandered the name of Gustav Mahler. I have balked at the idea of listening to his music, telling everyone how horrendous it is and that it should best be avoided by good, honest, pure-hearted people.
Well, dear readers, I was wrong. I'm not proud of my comments, but I feel it is my duty to make amends. I have listened to a number of Mahler's symphonies (5 to this point, I believe), and I must say they are quite enjoyable. Not Dvorak, or even Ralph Vaughn Williams enjoyable, but still quality pieces of music.
Hence, I retract my previous comments about Mahler and encourage all of you to at least take him into consideration. Thank you for your time.
Thursday, October 27
Friends, and non-Quakers amongt you, today I must make a confession. It is something I have held back, been ashamed of, tried to keep in the hidden confines of the deepest darkest recesses of my mind, but I can no more remain silent. It must come out.
I, Dylan Fort Meggs, am an English major.
I know. I, too, have denied it. This very day, the thought practically drove me into a seething rage. But fear not, my faithful companions. I am an educator first, an english major second. I am not some lukewarm, "I like English, but not unemployment" type of fellow! That is simply not how I roll.
I want to teach. I crave it. It is my fiercest desire, to interact in a fun, but intellectual environment in which I alone am the master, like some supreme, omniscient terrorist with my Stockholm-riddled hostages clamoring for me to receive grotesque pay increases. Mmmm, tastes like brainwash!
So anyway, I decided I can beat all those other schmoes out of the good teaching jobs by being energetic, learned, and, perhaps, just a little bit sexy. I need to pad my resume, but I refuse to do things for padding alone. I mean, I may not be well endowed, but boobs aren't everything! Er... I mean credentials. Wait... ANYWAY, I want to definitely start a branch of the Card-board Club here at UT, maybe volunteer more, and apply for a position on the Issues Committee. That should help a bit. And then, of course, I'll charm them at the interview. I might not even have to take off my pants! (For better or worse : /).
So, suffice it to say, my self-esteem/confidence/energy/blood pressure spiked today. Perhaps it'll plummet back into an abysmal depression, I don't know. But for now, I'm going to enjoy it! Enjoy it... like a fox! Or a ferret. Or some sort of weasel-esque creature, sans social stigma.
So... hooray!
I, Dylan Fort Meggs, am an English major.
I know. I, too, have denied it. This very day, the thought practically drove me into a seething rage. But fear not, my faithful companions. I am an educator first, an english major second. I am not some lukewarm, "I like English, but not unemployment" type of fellow! That is simply not how I roll.
I want to teach. I crave it. It is my fiercest desire, to interact in a fun, but intellectual environment in which I alone am the master, like some supreme, omniscient terrorist with my Stockholm-riddled hostages clamoring for me to receive grotesque pay increases. Mmmm, tastes like brainwash!
So anyway, I decided I can beat all those other schmoes out of the good teaching jobs by being energetic, learned, and, perhaps, just a little bit sexy. I need to pad my resume, but I refuse to do things for padding alone. I mean, I may not be well endowed, but boobs aren't everything! Er... I mean credentials. Wait... ANYWAY, I want to definitely start a branch of the Card-board Club here at UT, maybe volunteer more, and apply for a position on the Issues Committee. That should help a bit. And then, of course, I'll charm them at the interview. I might not even have to take off my pants! (For better or worse : /).
So, suffice it to say, my self-esteem/confidence/energy/blood pressure spiked today. Perhaps it'll plummet back into an abysmal depression, I don't know. But for now, I'm going to enjoy it! Enjoy it... like a fox! Or a ferret. Or some sort of weasel-esque creature, sans social stigma.
So... hooray!
Tuesday, October 25
You Can Call Me Al
Which one, though, I'm not sure.
Paul Simon's Al has a romantic flair, but he's a copout. He's like James Bond before you get the results back from the clinic. He's your "long lost pal." But maybe he's lost for a reason? Or maybe I do need to find him again. I mean, I do need a photo-oppurtunity and to stop wondering where my wife and family are. I need to get up and find them! Then again, I hate calling anyone anything because I hate phones.
Then there's J. Alfred Prufrock. T.S. Eltiot (!) 's homeboy. Frankly, the man's a bore. I feel sorry for him. And then, I realize the parallels and feel a tad sorry for myself. And then I have a good cry, listen to NYSNC, and call up my best girlfriend to talk about boys for an hour. Then the sinking realization of my actions attacks me like a waffle iron attacks postmen, and I regret I sold my gun for a kitten and a dream. Unfortunately, the dream involved eating small, cute, fuzzy marshmallows, so the kitten didn't last long. Suffice it to say, I am neither Hamlet, Prufrock, or Richard Simmons, and I'm incredibly thankful for that.
Finally, there's Al Sharpton. Al came to speak tonight and was absolutely incredible. Sometimes he didn't make much sense, but he was a great speaker. I loved part of his speech that basically equated to "Al Sharpton: Fighting For Your Right To Go To Hell." It, like most things, made me want to get started teaching. After seeing Maya Angelou and Mr. Sharpton, I think I've got enough evidence to counter any black kid who says "I can't succeed." Both Angelou and Sharpton were inspiring, well spoken, and intelligent. And they *gasp* communicated well! Why, it's almost as if communication skills are important! I think I've found a teaching tool ;). But anyway, Al wanted to stand for something. What do I stand for? I'm not brave enough to directly achieve social change. I can't even ask a girl out. BUT I'll do my part through years of service corr...educating the youth of the future. That ought to be enough.
So which Al am I? I don't really know. I want to be an individual. Dylan Meggs, a character who makes an impression upon you. I don't think I'm there yet. I use words in fairly witty ways, but I'm not defined. That might take a few years. I've got time to develop. Hopefully I can have fun doing it.
Oh, by the way, this morning my Physics teacher started getting angry at buoyancy. It wasn't an experiment or anything. It was as if the concept infuriated him. What did buoyancy do to him? I guess he is German, and therefore naturally prone to anger. But I still wonder what the therapy session would go like....
Prof. Spanier: And zen zee ice... zee ice floated upon zee water! And I... I ...
Therapist: It's ok, Stefan, take your time.
Prof. Spanier: But it ez how zeze thingz vurk! I cannot fight zee physics!
Therapist: We'll fight it Stefan. We'll fight it. Together.
Prof. Spanier: NOW IS ZEE TIME IN PHYZICS 101 VEN VE DANCE!!!
(I sure hope some of you caught that reference. Anyway, no new list items. Better luck tomorrow, eh?)
Paul Simon's Al has a romantic flair, but he's a copout. He's like James Bond before you get the results back from the clinic. He's your "long lost pal." But maybe he's lost for a reason? Or maybe I do need to find him again. I mean, I do need a photo-oppurtunity and to stop wondering where my wife and family are. I need to get up and find them! Then again, I hate calling anyone anything because I hate phones.
Then there's J. Alfred Prufrock. T.S. Eltiot (!) 's homeboy. Frankly, the man's a bore. I feel sorry for him. And then, I realize the parallels and feel a tad sorry for myself. And then I have a good cry, listen to NYSNC, and call up my best girlfriend to talk about boys for an hour. Then the sinking realization of my actions attacks me like a waffle iron attacks postmen, and I regret I sold my gun for a kitten and a dream. Unfortunately, the dream involved eating small, cute, fuzzy marshmallows, so the kitten didn't last long. Suffice it to say, I am neither Hamlet, Prufrock, or Richard Simmons, and I'm incredibly thankful for that.
Finally, there's Al Sharpton. Al came to speak tonight and was absolutely incredible. Sometimes he didn't make much sense, but he was a great speaker. I loved part of his speech that basically equated to "Al Sharpton: Fighting For Your Right To Go To Hell." It, like most things, made me want to get started teaching. After seeing Maya Angelou and Mr. Sharpton, I think I've got enough evidence to counter any black kid who says "I can't succeed." Both Angelou and Sharpton were inspiring, well spoken, and intelligent. And they *gasp* communicated well! Why, it's almost as if communication skills are important! I think I've found a teaching tool ;). But anyway, Al wanted to stand for something. What do I stand for? I'm not brave enough to directly achieve social change. I can't even ask a girl out. BUT I'll do my part through years of service corr...educating the youth of the future. That ought to be enough.
So which Al am I? I don't really know. I want to be an individual. Dylan Meggs, a character who makes an impression upon you. I don't think I'm there yet. I use words in fairly witty ways, but I'm not defined. That might take a few years. I've got time to develop. Hopefully I can have fun doing it.
Oh, by the way, this morning my Physics teacher started getting angry at buoyancy. It wasn't an experiment or anything. It was as if the concept infuriated him. What did buoyancy do to him? I guess he is German, and therefore naturally prone to anger. But I still wonder what the therapy session would go like....
Prof. Spanier: And zen zee ice... zee ice floated upon zee water! And I... I ...
Therapist: It's ok, Stefan, take your time.
Prof. Spanier: But it ez how zeze thingz vurk! I cannot fight zee physics!
Therapist: We'll fight it Stefan. We'll fight it. Together.
Prof. Spanier: NOW IS ZEE TIME IN PHYZICS 101 VEN VE DANCE!!!
(I sure hope some of you caught that reference. Anyway, no new list items. Better luck tomorrow, eh?)
What Have We Learned?
New post over at Fiction. It's been awhile, but it was a fun little exercise. I hope you like it. (Post comments on this site if you don't mind. I would like to know your thoughts though. I mean know them. Yes, all of them. Well, maybe not... ok, that was just uncalled for. Why the hell would you even stick a rabbit in you-? You know what, I changed my mind. I don't want to know. About the rabbit anyway. That poor, poor little... Anyway, let me know what you think about the piece. Which is ironic, for a piece about not thinking, but hey, it's what I do. For better or worse.)
Sunday, October 23
I need to start dramatizing my days. I'm tired of analysis, I'm thinking it's time to be creative again. I'm almost tempted to start my villain novel, but it's just not time. The longer I hold off, the more defined the message and story I want to convey will be. Perhaps I'll do a few more character sketches, I dunno. And this is just a passing whim, because I'm inspired.
I know what I need. I need a mantra, to remind me of lessons I've learned. So I'm going to start a list and eventually compile it into something like a daily mantra. I know, I know, I've had this very idea before. But I keep finding times when I think "I would have been better off if I'd just remembered what I've already learned." So I'll try to follow through this time. Hence, off the top of my head...
1. Be Happy. Happiness is its own reward, to you and the rest of the world. You may have to repeat this life again, if the circle holds true, so make it the best you can. You'll thank yourself later. Or you won't. But...um... you know what you mean.
2. Make Happy. Try to make others happy. You'd like them to do the same, right? So start a trend!
3. Be Positive. Even if you're wrong, no one can fault you of having a positive attitude. You can still be realistic and positive.
4. Don't Judge. If someone's not bothering you and they're happy with themselves, just be glad they're happy.
5. Don't Feel Insecure. Every person plays a role. Just because you didn't make someone laugh doesn't mean you're a failure. Just because your stomach is soft instead of hard you're not repulsive. Just because others are better than you at everything you do does not mean you are worth less than they are.
6. Improve Yourself. There's always room for self-improvement. Always.
7. Be Happy for Others. Don't feel threatened by the success of others. Be happy for them, enjoy their work.
8. Don't Worry So Much About The Future. The future is always tomorrow, never today. If you worry about something that never gets here, you'll worry forever.
9. Don't Be Afraid of Other People. Most people are at least somewhat nice, and if they're not they probably should be. Ask for their help, interact with them, be nice to them. Avoiding them doesn't help anyone.
10. Don't Stop Trying. Don't fall into complacecency. Keep things new, keep things interesting. Keep things challenging. It's the only way to keep things alive.
I know what I need. I need a mantra, to remind me of lessons I've learned. So I'm going to start a list and eventually compile it into something like a daily mantra. I know, I know, I've had this very idea before. But I keep finding times when I think "I would have been better off if I'd just remembered what I've already learned." So I'll try to follow through this time. Hence, off the top of my head...
1. Be Happy. Happiness is its own reward, to you and the rest of the world. You may have to repeat this life again, if the circle holds true, so make it the best you can. You'll thank yourself later. Or you won't. But...um... you know what you mean.
2. Make Happy. Try to make others happy. You'd like them to do the same, right? So start a trend!
3. Be Positive. Even if you're wrong, no one can fault you of having a positive attitude. You can still be realistic and positive.
4. Don't Judge. If someone's not bothering you and they're happy with themselves, just be glad they're happy.
5. Don't Feel Insecure. Every person plays a role. Just because you didn't make someone laugh doesn't mean you're a failure. Just because your stomach is soft instead of hard you're not repulsive. Just because others are better than you at everything you do does not mean you are worth less than they are.
6. Improve Yourself. There's always room for self-improvement. Always.
7. Be Happy for Others. Don't feel threatened by the success of others. Be happy for them, enjoy their work.
8. Don't Worry So Much About The Future. The future is always tomorrow, never today. If you worry about something that never gets here, you'll worry forever.
9. Don't Be Afraid of Other People. Most people are at least somewhat nice, and if they're not they probably should be. Ask for their help, interact with them, be nice to them. Avoiding them doesn't help anyone.
10. Don't Stop Trying. Don't fall into complacecency. Keep things new, keep things interesting. Keep things challenging. It's the only way to keep things alive.