No need to have men in uniforms when you can create uniform fear.
-K-
Firsts & Lasts
“Scruples”
The gloaming brings a pulsation. Here I yield. Thither I go. At the least I'll pull an all-nighter. At the most I'll be carelessly disobedient. The figurative is piffle. The literal is caution.
-K-
“Desire, Jealousy, Love”
The End of Things
What is your relationship success rate? If you’ve experienced the end of a relationship (one that wasn’t ended by you), then Suicide Blonde and The End of the Affair may cover some familiar ground. If you’ve never been in a relationship that ended poorly, then these books can give you insight into the lives of the rest of us. The narrators of these books offer views of the end of their relationships (don’t consider that a spoiler if you haven’t paid attention to the titles of the books
These books, written 40 years apart, address desire, jealousy, love, and how all three overlap in a relationship. From the first to the last sentences (the first and last sentences of both books are quite memorable) we are privy to the relationship woes of Jesse from Suicide Blonde and Bendrix from The End of the Affair. Darcy Steinke and Graham Greene draw us in with believable characters we may not always like but can definitely empathize with.
Not every relationship has a happy ending. Suicide Blonde and The End of the Affair are stories of two such such endings. Steinke and Greene show us some relationships are tragic, but tragedy is part of life, as are relationships.
-K-
Outlaw Manifesto
“If you aren’t going all the way, why go at all?”
-Joe Namath-
“Kevin Smith’s Relationship Advice”
Chasing Amy as Romance for Realists
This post isn’t about Clerks. Someday there will be a post about Kevin Smith’s Clerks but today is not that day, but if I didn’t watch Clerks then I probably wouldn’t have sought out Chasing Amy. February is drawing to a close next week so now is the time to have a brief discussion about Chasing Amy, the first ‘relationship’ movie I saw that I could really identify with (although there is some interesting relationship advice in Clerks worth discussing at a later date). Some elements of Smith’s 1997 movie may be a bit dated but the core message of the movie holds true today and is worth a viewing.
Much like Clerks which has the ability to speak to those of us who have worked in retail Chasing Amy speaks to those of us who have been in complicated relationships (the word complicated is a bit cliché but using a word like problematic is putting a dime word in a penny sentence). You don’t need to be in the same romantic relationship as Ben Affleck’s Holden McNeil to empathize with his situation. If you have ever allowed friends, or those who call themselves friends, to guide your relationship decisions then you can relate to Chasing Amy. If you have ever allowed preconceived notions and feelings of inadequacy whisper in your ear then you can relate to Chasing Amy. If you never allowed these things to sway your relationship decisions then this movie can give you an idea of how the rest of us muddle through our love lives.
Chasing Amy is a realistic portrayal of two people trying to work through their issues and develop a meaningful relationship. It is a movie that speaks to any of us who have struggled with similar issues. The movie may have some 90s vibes in it but Smith’s story is still relevant and worth a view.
-K-
Firsts & Lasts
“Take a Fit”
Tellurians plodding half-heartedly to Weekday carrels. There is no merriment For the voiceless mass. Bosses excoriate through a variety of Mendacious media. Their intentional Propaganda is as genuine as their workplace "family." Our drudgery is ours. Our anger is ours. Our hours are theirs.
-K-
A man only has so many bottles of bourbon in him, why waste any drinking over silly shit?
-K-
Voodooshooter 