Sunday, April 22, 2007

Would you like some Plaid with your shorts?

As I ring item after item at Kohl's for this annoying ass customer I think about buying shit I don't need. Damn the atmosphere here is infectious. I distract myself from this thought be returning to the customer whose order I have finished and simply await payment.

"Hold on I got it somewhere," she pleads in that oh so professional voice we have in department stores. You know, the fake, friendly one that just begs for pity as she rifles through stacks of nothing looking for her misplaced Kohl's charge. Does anyone have a humility anymore? I feel like a nuisance when it takes me more than a minute to get my money back into my wallet after receiving what I hope (but don't care enough to make sure) is the right amount of change. She stops here endeavor for a second and beckons for me to "Look." Her shuffling hands have stopped on a pocket-sized book entitled "Organization for Dummies".

Wow I think to myself, I wish I could make up fiction this good. Can nothing embarrass you Lady? I think as we share a chuckle. me more heartily than here seeing as she must continue looking for the card. I finally offer to look up her account using her Social Security Number which is the magic spell to coo the card out of hiding. without fail, at the threat of having to remember 9 digits well enough to enter them into a PIN Pad makes the card jump out of its dark crevice allowing me to complete the transaction.

So now, in honor of this memorable customer, I going to follow a logical organization with rest of this post. On my way to work today I believe accidentally took another creatures life. I looked down to adjust the settings on my radio and my eyes slowly tilt up to catch the bunny wabbit dart in front of me. This sight was followed by a thud long before my brain could react in any way. It is of course presumed dead. I only hope that it was killed instantly and didn't crawl off after I drove on to find a cold bush to hide under. RIP mr. rabbit

In an effort to better balance my interests (as well as get the most of the $100 RATM i bought) I have been venturing into the world of Rap. I've determined that what, not enough people, have realized about Rock also holds true for Rap. this secret being that anything found on the radio or MTV claiming to be Rock is just Pop acting as a poor substitute. But beware, aspartame kills. So all the cRap on MTV is infact a terrible example of the genre and a poor representation. My musical eneavor has begun with The Roots who have blown me away with their sheer musicianship. I then gained wind of Immortal Technique who enticed me with his strong convictions, politics and infectious rhymes. I plan next on diving more in depth into the stylings of Common and rapper/poet Mos Def. I highly recommned that everyone else attempt to broaden their music playlist as well. which reminds me. In the same day that I was listening to this, me rob and bri went to borders and he purchased Coltrane's 'Big Steps' and I got Billie Holiday's greatest hits; Bri got some chick.

I think i spelt Politics wrong on an essay today. I think i stared at the word 'polotic' for a minute on my paper knowing full well that it wasn't right but unable to remember how it should have been spelled. thats a scary feeling.

Christopher

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Honor Those Lost

It's been over a month since I've published which doesn't bode well for the life of this blog. I haven't found anything that inspired me to write in a while but I feel I should address Monday's tragedy. If I were a religious person I would pray for the families hurt by the atrocity committed at Virginia Tech on Monday, but that's not who I am. Regardless of my religious views, that does not inhibit my sense or morality and I am deeply disturbed by the actions of this one individual. Nothing gave him the right to do what he did. But what disturbs me more is the rest of society. To begin things, Monday night I had to go to work regardless of the state of emergency and, wouldn't you believe, it was the busiest Monday night I've ever worked. The entire night I kept asking myself what reason these people could possibly had to be shopping. While down in Virginia an entire community was suffering all these people could think about was the sales at Kohl's. Maybe it is asking too much that people up here in jersey should be spending their time to help Virginia Tech (if there was something they could have done). Okay, so fine, you can't help Virginia. How about the insane flooding right here in our area. Unless everyone was buying cheap clothing to give to a neighbor whose home was under 4 feet of water, I don't think shopping at Kohl's was necessary.

Okay now on to what really is bothering me; the media. It is difficult to open my Internet explorer and seeing my homepage, CNN.com, load a new picture of grieving students but I kind of feel that is necessary. Mourning is a very difficult and important process, and for the time being the entire nation needs to experience it together. What is not necessary, however, is the attention given to the shooter. It is natural human nature for us to want someone at whom we can point our finger, but I don't think the news should be spending so much time on him and going so in depth. I read in the paper today that he saw himself as equivalent to Jesus. Well his press coverage might just give him the martyrdom he desires. There are definitely people who would open up the New York Times today and see yet another picture of Cho Seung-Hui wielding his Glochs and think "That could be me if I only tried." Giving this sociopath only gives vindication for similarly inspired lunatics to come out of the wood works. Not buying it? Look at the Senses Fail lyrics, "I choose to be a serial killer because the victims don't get any fame." We need to knock out that catalyst. He sent his video to NBC so that he could be on the news. He knew that he would become a house-held name. Knowing this, why then are we allowing him to get what he wanted?

So yes America, keep the victims in your hearts, but shut the killer out of your minds. If the death of one is a tragedy and the death of a million is just a statistic, then the death of 32 is unforgivable and providing fuel for a sequel is just irresponsible.

Christopher