I just saw a documentary and I am inspired to write my reflections. So here goes...
The documentary was called Here's Johnny, and it was about a graphic artist named John Hicklenton. He was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis about 6 years ago. Basically, MS affects the nervous system, and results in loss of feeling, and eventually loss of the use of, limbs. Really not nice. The documentary features him talking about his "war", as he calls it, against this disease. The entire time he is incredibly upbeat and humorous (he was actually hilarious). You could tell the guy has massive amounts of courage.
John, as well as the documentary producers were at this screening, as this was the first time it was being shown. There was a Q&A afterwards as well. John said that he draws for about 10 hours a day, because that's really all he has to get him through this. He said as long as he can use his mind and his hands, he is fine. As he was talking, you could tell that it really is a struggle for him. His words were upbeat, but you could see his pain in his eyes (and my Dad always said "the eyes are the window to the soul"). Also, almost every question that was asked resulted in him rambling on and eventually coming back to him talking about how all he can do is fight, and that once he was no longer able to use his hands and/or mind properly, he would make the decision to end his life via euthanasia.
It really got me thinking. Since graduating, I have been fairly focused, but I have also done a lot of slacking off. Which is OK (esp after being battered by ND for 4 years), and in fact it is good and healthy to relax. But then there have been times where I've thought about a small project to do, or a job to apply for, or something like that, and I've said "Oh, I'll just do that tomorrow." Well, John won't always have a tomorrow. And I think that is an important thing to remember. Not everyone in the world has a tomorrow, and one day neither will we. I know that I am basically just re-wording the "carpe diem" philosophy, but in this context, as he is an artist, and has a passion to create, and utilizes all available time doing just that, I suppose it speaks to me on another level.
Here is the info on the screening.
You can see some of his work in this
interview.
You can see a clip of the documentary on Animal Monday's (the producers) website. Apparently it will be shown at SXSW, so if anyone is going there, look out for it. It's worth it.
Thanks for reading.
Much love.
X
Wednesday, 30 January 2008
Thursday, 3 January 2008
2007
So wow, looking back, 2007 has been pretty mental.
Last semester of university I took a bollocking. BUT it was GREAT! I probably had the best time I've ever had in my life, and I think my friends in Riley could attest to that. Yeah, I probably pulled about 2 all-nighters a week, but I had a damn good time doing it with some of the best people I'll probably ever meet! It is hopefully the closest I'll come to consistent deliriousness. I also had a great time with the two jobs I had at The Observer and Legends. Not only did I get to do some fun non-academic work, I also made some money (which was massively handy when purchasing a laptop and a plane ticket to London). And then I graduated. I am still a bit awed by the fact that I am a college graduate. I feel so lucky, really. So many people take it for granted. But not everyone gets to do it.
Summer in Chicago was a blasty. I had a design job! Deerfields Bakery was an experience. Good design experience with Paula, the Typography Queen, and an amazingly fun time with Vanessa. I honestly would not have made it without Vanessa. And I was really happy that we got to hang out outside of Deerfields as well. Drinking for free at Duffy's was probably a bad decision every time haha!
I also got to live with Eric (my brother) which was fun. Booze Foos will never die. We probably drank about 5 nights a week on average (although, one of which was along with wings, and the other of which was along with bowling).
Then September came, and it was time to leave. My going away party in Chicago was great. Classy versus Trashy, what a great theme! And then there was South Bend. Which was a blast again! My birthday party there (graciously hosted by Shannon, Carolina, and Sara) was SO MUCH FUN! It was cool to have several different groups of my ND friends come together and have a good time. It was really nice seeing my friends at ND again as well. They always show me a good time. And then there was NYC. Road tripping with Eric is ridiculously fun. We get on so well, and I think that because we both have such an interest in learning and exploring life, that traveling together always goes really well. Hopefully we will get to do it more in the future. It was also amazing getting to stay with ND alums that I graduated with. Besides being excited to hang out with them, it also made me proud to see them sorting their lives out. And what better place to do it than NYC. Oh, I know, LONDON! haha!
Which brings me to my next section. I've already written a bit about London in a previous post. It's really been amazing, and I realize now, after being here for 3 months, that if I hadn't done this, I would be kicking myself. I've been learning so much. About London, England, America, Europe, myself, humans, religion, mental states, etc. Being somewhere I am not used to just makes me feel alive and stimulated. I have made a great new friend as well, Kelly. It is so important that we have had each other during this experience, and we've become great friends. She has really enhanced my time here. I am exicted for the second half of my stay. As of now, the plan for when my visa expires is a trip to continental Europe for a bit, then back to England to visit the Lake District (look it up, it's gorgeous), and then back to the states.
I am so excited about 2008. It seems like 2007 was still a bit scripted as far as I'm concerned. What with school, knowing I would be in Chicago for the summer, and then once I knew I was going to London, that was sorted as well. Right now, all I have sorted is through the end of March. Everything from there forward is a blurry fog. And I love that. I think what makes it OK is that I have so many options. And that are all equally great. I don't want to talk about them too much yet, so as not to set anything in stone. But life is moving along spectacularly.
And so in the current moment, as I sit here writing this blog, I don't think I could be happier. I really have everything I could want. Sure, I could have one more pair of pointy toe shoes or another pair of skinny jeans. But really, I have amazing friends, family, and the experiences that I have gained and am gaining are just simply incredible.
I hope that everyone can realize that it is important to always pursue whatever you want for your life, and not what anyone else wants. When it comes to what is most important to you, and to the advancement of your life, a bit of selfishness is necessary. Though cliche, you do only live once, and these years while you are young and still have a limited amount of responsibility are such a great time to let go of your inhibitions and do what you feel you should do instead of what you think you should do. Follow heart not mind, and just live like you are destined to take over the world. Most importantly, have fun. Every day. Every hour. Every minute. And if you aren't having fun in what you're doing, do something else that is fun.
UGH, enough sappy talk!
Thanks for reading.
Cheers to 2008!
Last semester of university I took a bollocking. BUT it was GREAT! I probably had the best time I've ever had in my life, and I think my friends in Riley could attest to that. Yeah, I probably pulled about 2 all-nighters a week, but I had a damn good time doing it with some of the best people I'll probably ever meet! It is hopefully the closest I'll come to consistent deliriousness. I also had a great time with the two jobs I had at The Observer and Legends. Not only did I get to do some fun non-academic work, I also made some money (which was massively handy when purchasing a laptop and a plane ticket to London). And then I graduated. I am still a bit awed by the fact that I am a college graduate. I feel so lucky, really. So many people take it for granted. But not everyone gets to do it.
Summer in Chicago was a blasty. I had a design job! Deerfields Bakery was an experience. Good design experience with Paula, the Typography Queen, and an amazingly fun time with Vanessa. I honestly would not have made it without Vanessa. And I was really happy that we got to hang out outside of Deerfields as well. Drinking for free at Duffy's was probably a bad decision every time haha!
I also got to live with Eric (my brother) which was fun. Booze Foos will never die. We probably drank about 5 nights a week on average (although, one of which was along with wings, and the other of which was along with bowling).
Then September came, and it was time to leave. My going away party in Chicago was great. Classy versus Trashy, what a great theme! And then there was South Bend. Which was a blast again! My birthday party there (graciously hosted by Shannon, Carolina, and Sara) was SO MUCH FUN! It was cool to have several different groups of my ND friends come together and have a good time. It was really nice seeing my friends at ND again as well. They always show me a good time. And then there was NYC. Road tripping with Eric is ridiculously fun. We get on so well, and I think that because we both have such an interest in learning and exploring life, that traveling together always goes really well. Hopefully we will get to do it more in the future. It was also amazing getting to stay with ND alums that I graduated with. Besides being excited to hang out with them, it also made me proud to see them sorting their lives out. And what better place to do it than NYC. Oh, I know, LONDON! haha!
Which brings me to my next section. I've already written a bit about London in a previous post. It's really been amazing, and I realize now, after being here for 3 months, that if I hadn't done this, I would be kicking myself. I've been learning so much. About London, England, America, Europe, myself, humans, religion, mental states, etc. Being somewhere I am not used to just makes me feel alive and stimulated. I have made a great new friend as well, Kelly. It is so important that we have had each other during this experience, and we've become great friends. She has really enhanced my time here. I am exicted for the second half of my stay. As of now, the plan for when my visa expires is a trip to continental Europe for a bit, then back to England to visit the Lake District (look it up, it's gorgeous), and then back to the states.
I am so excited about 2008. It seems like 2007 was still a bit scripted as far as I'm concerned. What with school, knowing I would be in Chicago for the summer, and then once I knew I was going to London, that was sorted as well. Right now, all I have sorted is through the end of March. Everything from there forward is a blurry fog. And I love that. I think what makes it OK is that I have so many options. And that are all equally great. I don't want to talk about them too much yet, so as not to set anything in stone. But life is moving along spectacularly.
And so in the current moment, as I sit here writing this blog, I don't think I could be happier. I really have everything I could want. Sure, I could have one more pair of pointy toe shoes or another pair of skinny jeans. But really, I have amazing friends, family, and the experiences that I have gained and am gaining are just simply incredible.
I hope that everyone can realize that it is important to always pursue whatever you want for your life, and not what anyone else wants. When it comes to what is most important to you, and to the advancement of your life, a bit of selfishness is necessary. Though cliche, you do only live once, and these years while you are young and still have a limited amount of responsibility are such a great time to let go of your inhibitions and do what you feel you should do instead of what you think you should do. Follow heart not mind, and just live like you are destined to take over the world. Most importantly, have fun. Every day. Every hour. Every minute. And if you aren't having fun in what you're doing, do something else that is fun.
UGH, enough sappy talk!
Thanks for reading.
Cheers to 2008!
Wednesday, 2 January 2008
London Mixtape 2007
I've compiled a mixtape of songs from 2007 by British bands. Hope you all enjoy it.
Download it HERE!
Download it HERE!
Wednesday, 14 November 2007
Brighton
So I went to Brighton two weeks ago with 3 of my housemates. It's at the southern tip of England. My housemate Greg lived there before moving to London, so he showed us around on Sunday. It's a beautiful town with loads of arts and cool people.
Greg had a gig that night at the Brighton Barfly. He is wicked live.
I was the only one who decided to spend the night down in Brighton, so I booked a cheap single room in a hotel. It was nice to have some time to myself away from London. I had a wicked full English breakfast in the morning as well! I first visited the Royal Pavilion, which really looks like the Taj Mahal. It was built for King George IV, who was quite excessive as you can see.
I found some wicked graffiti. Basically the best graffiti I've ever seen in person.
Found a Banksy (if you don't know who he is, look him up - wicked graffiti artist):
And finally, sorry to disappoint, but I got hitched on Brighton Pier:
Greg had a gig that night at the Brighton Barfly. He is wicked live.
I was the only one who decided to spend the night down in Brighton, so I booked a cheap single room in a hotel. It was nice to have some time to myself away from London. I had a wicked full English breakfast in the morning as well! I first visited the Royal Pavilion, which really looks like the Taj Mahal. It was built for King George IV, who was quite excessive as you can see.
I found some wicked graffiti. Basically the best graffiti I've ever seen in person.
Found a Banksy (if you don't know who he is, look him up - wicked graffiti artist):
And finally, sorry to disappoint, but I got hitched on Brighton Pier:
Saturday, 3 November 2007
London 1
And so at the one-month mark, here comes the update...
Well things have been great as well as crazy so far. It was SO FUN road tripping with Eric again. South Bend was destination one, and it was a drunken mess (tell me something new). But it was great seeing all of my friendsters (both seniors and SUPER-seniors). I had a great birthday too. I shot guns and had a great meal with friends, and played darts with Eric to cap the night. Cheers to Amelia for letting us crash!
Then it was on to NYC. What a great city! So many things to do. Eric and I did loads of great things. Of particular interest to me was the exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York called The Glory Days: New York Baseball 1947-1957. It was contained in a small area, but had massive amounts of history, facts, and memorabilia. Anyone who cares at all about baseball should see this exhibit. I actually couldn't figure out how it was possibly so good, but then after a bit of research, I learned that it was done by Pentagram. Which sealed my fate of having to work there some day. It was equally great seeing my friendsters who are newly residents of New York (well, Brooklyn really). So much fun hanging out with them, as well as my few friends that I met a year ago, and one very special girl who graduated before me. It was also great meeting new people. Cheers to the Brooklynites for letting us crash! It was sad to see Eric go, but I was so glad that we were able to spend that time together, away from Chicago, and away from real life. It couldn't have been a better time!
Then on to London. I suppose I should start at the flight (on Air India), because before the plane even left the runway there was almost a fight (literally). There was a man (sitting directly behind me) on his mobile while we were on the runway getting ready to take off (a big NO-NO). This woman asked him to get off, because he was going to interfere with the plane's communications, but he wouldn't. Then she started yelling at him to get off the mobile, and he told her to shut up. At which point she absolutely blew up, yelling about the mobile and how he doesn't have any respect for women, and on and on. She threatened that if he said one more thing to him that she would slap him. Eventually the flight attendants came back to see what was going on. In the end, nothing really happened with the guy. But that is NO WAY to start a 7 hour flight! The rest of the flight went quite smoothly, thank goodness, and I had some wine and a Tiger beer! The meal was awesome, as it was decent Indian food, and not just lame chicken. I also got to watch Tool Time hahaaa! I landed around 8am London time, got all my suitcases, and headed to the tube to meet Kelly (for those of you who don't know, I graduated with Kelly, and she is doing the same BUNAC program that I am, and it just so happened that we found flights that got in at the same time). She showed up shortly, and we began the trek to the hostel. Little did we know we would be in that hostel for the next month (almost - we spent about 4 nights in a "bed and breakfast", which was actually just an old smelly lady's house. She was really sweet, but talk about awkward situations). Let's just say that finding housing in London is not something that's easy to do in a week's time. The second night we were in London, we went out to a pub in Camden to meet up with a group of people. These were all people who were looking for housing and had responded to an ad online for a flatshare. The people who placed the ad got a place really quickly, but passed on everyone else's email addresses to each other. So there were about 6 of us who seemed to have interest in moving to the same places, and in the same price range and such. So we began the house-hunt. It was really tough (mentally, physically, and spiritually), as we had so little luck. But finally we found a 6-bedroom house in a good location and in the price range. We decided to put a bid in on it. Well that's not just the end of it in London. The estate agency needed references, which is all fine and dandy, but being foreign, they really need you to prove you will be able to pay the rent. Eventually I had to use my Dad as a guarantor. Buuuut WE GOT THE HOUSE! And I move in tomorrow! So excited! It's gorgeous, and I will post pictures in an album soon. In case you want to Google Map it (or send me candy! :P), it's 8 Hamilton Road, Dollis Hill, London, NW10 1NX. My five roommates consist of Kelly, Duane (an Aussie who is here on a 2-year visa and is a sound engineer, but currently doing temp work until he can find a job in his field), Dave (works as an event planner, and is a really nice guy), Liffey (a uni student studying technical effects, which is kind of like special effects, but the technical side of it, go figure), and Greg (a musician [http://www.myspace.com/gregholden] who is also a photographer and does a bit of design). As you can imagine, Greg and I get on really well. But really, I like everyone I'll be living with, so I'm really excited. I also now have a job at a store called Paperchase. It is a massive (three floor) store that sells notebooks, stationary, some furniture, and art materials. I am on the art floor, which is cool because we get all the artsy fartsy people coming up asking for advice with their projects and such. On the art floor they have loads of hand-made paper imported from India and other places around the world as well. So yes, it's a retail job, but it's been really fun. And it's nice to be paid in pounds! (The one big drawback that only Vanessa will be able to empathize with me on is that every once in a while the song that goes "save a little love for me" from the Jazz Cafe comes on, and I go into convulsions!) I am and will continue to be in the process of looking for a proper design job. That will be a whole new challenge, as there are loads of designers here.
Other than all that, I have been having a lot of fun among all of the stress of the housing situation. Having my soon-to-be roommates to hang out with has been great. We have loads of fun at random pubs, and dance-dance-dancing at indie club nights! And I don't plan on that changing any time soon.
I really want to hear from everyone about what is going on in all of your lives. Please feel free to email me at any time on jeff.s.albert@gmail.com. Also please send me your addresses so I can try to send postcards! Look forward to hearing back from everyone!
I miss and love all the great people in my life who are away from me!
xx
Well things have been great as well as crazy so far. It was SO FUN road tripping with Eric again. South Bend was destination one, and it was a drunken mess (tell me something new). But it was great seeing all of my friendsters (both seniors and SUPER-seniors). I had a great birthday too. I shot guns and had a great meal with friends, and played darts with Eric to cap the night. Cheers to Amelia for letting us crash!
Then it was on to NYC. What a great city! So many things to do. Eric and I did loads of great things. Of particular interest to me was the exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York called The Glory Days: New York Baseball 1947-1957. It was contained in a small area, but had massive amounts of history, facts, and memorabilia. Anyone who cares at all about baseball should see this exhibit. I actually couldn't figure out how it was possibly so good, but then after a bit of research, I learned that it was done by Pentagram. Which sealed my fate of having to work there some day. It was equally great seeing my friendsters who are newly residents of New York (well, Brooklyn really). So much fun hanging out with them, as well as my few friends that I met a year ago, and one very special girl who graduated before me. It was also great meeting new people. Cheers to the Brooklynites for letting us crash! It was sad to see Eric go, but I was so glad that we were able to spend that time together, away from Chicago, and away from real life. It couldn't have been a better time!
Then on to London. I suppose I should start at the flight (on Air India), because before the plane even left the runway there was almost a fight (literally). There was a man (sitting directly behind me) on his mobile while we were on the runway getting ready to take off (a big NO-NO). This woman asked him to get off, because he was going to interfere with the plane's communications, but he wouldn't. Then she started yelling at him to get off the mobile, and he told her to shut up. At which point she absolutely blew up, yelling about the mobile and how he doesn't have any respect for women, and on and on. She threatened that if he said one more thing to him that she would slap him. Eventually the flight attendants came back to see what was going on. In the end, nothing really happened with the guy. But that is NO WAY to start a 7 hour flight! The rest of the flight went quite smoothly, thank goodness, and I had some wine and a Tiger beer! The meal was awesome, as it was decent Indian food, and not just lame chicken. I also got to watch Tool Time hahaaa! I landed around 8am London time, got all my suitcases, and headed to the tube to meet Kelly (for those of you who don't know, I graduated with Kelly, and she is doing the same BUNAC program that I am, and it just so happened that we found flights that got in at the same time). She showed up shortly, and we began the trek to the hostel. Little did we know we would be in that hostel for the next month (almost - we spent about 4 nights in a "bed and breakfast", which was actually just an old smelly lady's house. She was really sweet, but talk about awkward situations). Let's just say that finding housing in London is not something that's easy to do in a week's time. The second night we were in London, we went out to a pub in Camden to meet up with a group of people. These were all people who were looking for housing and had responded to an ad online for a flatshare. The people who placed the ad got a place really quickly, but passed on everyone else's email addresses to each other. So there were about 6 of us who seemed to have interest in moving to the same places, and in the same price range and such. So we began the house-hunt. It was really tough (mentally, physically, and spiritually), as we had so little luck. But finally we found a 6-bedroom house in a good location and in the price range. We decided to put a bid in on it. Well that's not just the end of it in London. The estate agency needed references, which is all fine and dandy, but being foreign, they really need you to prove you will be able to pay the rent. Eventually I had to use my Dad as a guarantor. Buuuut WE GOT THE HOUSE! And I move in tomorrow! So excited! It's gorgeous, and I will post pictures in an album soon. In case you want to Google Map it (or send me candy! :P), it's 8 Hamilton Road, Dollis Hill, London, NW10 1NX. My five roommates consist of Kelly, Duane (an Aussie who is here on a 2-year visa and is a sound engineer, but currently doing temp work until he can find a job in his field), Dave (works as an event planner, and is a really nice guy), Liffey (a uni student studying technical effects, which is kind of like special effects, but the technical side of it, go figure), and Greg (a musician [http://www.myspace.com/gregholden] who is also a photographer and does a bit of design). As you can imagine, Greg and I get on really well. But really, I like everyone I'll be living with, so I'm really excited. I also now have a job at a store called Paperchase. It is a massive (three floor) store that sells notebooks, stationary, some furniture, and art materials. I am on the art floor, which is cool because we get all the artsy fartsy people coming up asking for advice with their projects and such. On the art floor they have loads of hand-made paper imported from India and other places around the world as well. So yes, it's a retail job, but it's been really fun. And it's nice to be paid in pounds! (The one big drawback that only Vanessa will be able to empathize with me on is that every once in a while the song that goes "save a little love for me" from the Jazz Cafe comes on, and I go into convulsions!) I am and will continue to be in the process of looking for a proper design job. That will be a whole new challenge, as there are loads of designers here.
Other than all that, I have been having a lot of fun among all of the stress of the housing situation. Having my soon-to-be roommates to hang out with has been great. We have loads of fun at random pubs, and dance-dance-dancing at indie club nights! And I don't plan on that changing any time soon.
I really want to hear from everyone about what is going on in all of your lives. Please feel free to email me at any time on jeff.s.albert@gmail.com. Also please send me your addresses so I can try to send postcards! Look forward to hearing back from everyone!
I miss and love all the great people in my life who are away from me!
xx
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