Sneakerhead Vol. 3: Christmas Riches

I consider myself pretty lucky for all of the opportunities in my life. When I stop and consider all of what I have, it makes me pause before the next time I want to complain about anything. Frankly, my life isn't perfect, but relative to what it could be, I've got a pretty good thing going.

Christmas always acts as a nice reminder of this. It's perspective in the form of material goods which show just how lucky I am. This Christmas was no different. I was blessed with 3 pairs of kicks that I'm very happy with.

1. Greedy Genius Ocean Runner- Boardwalk

These boat shoe inspired high tops are clean to say the least. Leather laces for a leather shoe, a comfortable fit, and the satisfaction of people taking a double take are what these will give you.

2. Nike Blazer High- Charcoal/Ceramic

I have already stated my interest in the Nike Blazer, and this colorway was too good to pass up. The ceramic provides the right amount of pop while the charcoal is classy and understated. Consider me pleased.


3. Nike Air Royal Mid

These could be seen as a bit of a stretch. I don't think these are for everyone. They are a little showy (very shiny) and are patent leather. If you're hesitating just hearing that, then it's probably a pass. I on the other hand, don't really have dignity or sense of self so I'll wear them no problem.

Forever Young: I Wanna Be, Forever Young

So, tonight is the eve of my birthday. I'm feeling a bit wistful, especially because I keep listening to "Young Forever" by Jay-Z (great song by the way). Now, I understand that I'm not old by any stretch of the imagination, however, I can't help but think that I'm older than I feel. I remember when my brother was a junior in high school, he seemed so old and mature. I don't feel that old or that mature. A fourth of my life might be over at this very moment. Alas, I have to apply for colleges soon. Just because I don't feel that old doesn't mean life is going to cut me any slack. However, I move forward, ready to take on the challenge. As much as I'd like to stay young forever, it's just not going to happen, so I have to learn to love the aging process because it ain't going away. Let's do this! I'll be 17 in 10 hours and 9 minutes, I can't wait.

Cheers all,

-H

V for Vaccine

No but seriously, screw going on hiatus. This is my feeble attempt to get a post up amid the chaos that is school. Bear with me kids, I have a life you know (not a joke). A life filled with spaceships and gold toilets (maybe a joke). A life of girls falling over themselves just to catch a glimpse of me (definitely a joke). Back to the matter at hand. Things that are pressing on my mind at the moment.

*Saw VI. Seriously, any time a movie series is getting close to that point where I can't recognize the Roman numerals, I figure that's as good a time as any to go ahead and shut it down. I personally didn't even like Saw I that much, so you can imagine my surprise when I heard that they had made 5 more of those crap fests. The Godfather got 2 sequels, Citizen Kane got none, and somehow Saw gets 5+?

*Halloween. It's that time of year again. Hallow's Eve, when Satan shows his visage in the form of small children collecting candy and teens being douchebags. Sounds like a pretty normal day actually. I think I'm beyond trick or treating at this point, due to my age, slightly lowered voice, and patchy amounts of trashy facial hair. I might just gorge on candy. Or steak, because I can. I've never understood why people enjoy pranks so much at this time of year. Honestly, if someone eggs me, I'm gonna start busting heads. Anyone who thinks it's funny to either (a) egg people, (b) smash pumpkins/decorations, (c) ding dong ditch, or (d) leave crap on people's doorsteps is a grade A douche. If I see any of you folks doing that stuff, again, I'm gonna start busting heads. As for myself, I'll be spending the evening razzing about town dressed as anarchist anti-hero V, from V for Vendetta. Get pumped.

*Pizza. Just wanted to say I love you. It's in my greasy, Italian, red as marinara blood to love this stuff. And needless to say, I do.

*Volleyball. I'm so tired of having to defend the masculinity of this sport. It seems like everyone wants to try and give crap to me about playing, but I'm finally going to organize all of my thoughts on the subject here. If you want to contest the athleticism of the volleyball team, fine, but do not call the sport gay. Wrestling kids shower together, wear singlets, and the entire point of the sport is to rub up on a guy until you're on top of him and he has to surrender to your will. Football is played in spandex pants, every good deed is rewarded with a nice butt pat, and the purpose of the game is to do your best to once again, end up on top of another guy. As for another "manly" sport, lacrosse, isn't it obvious? The game is based on guys running around gripping shafts, and heads, and playing with balls. Leave volleyball alone. Oh and I'd like to point out that there is nothing wrong with homosexual, I'm just attacking the use of heterosexual norms and the double standard applied to volleyball.

That's all for now. I just decided that I had to unblock my writer's mind somehow. This short little thing was the best I could do. Peace in the Middle East friends.

Screw You Hiatus

Hello loyal readership (how many of you are there now? Like 2 if you count me?). I'm sure these last few weeks have been pretty rough without any new posts up on the blog. However, I'm here to give you some great news: New posts are on the way. I am committed to posting more frequently if possible, and if I can get my co-authors to get off their asses and write some stuff too, well, wouldn't that just be great?

Anyway, hopefully this is the dawn of a new era for us here at The Vaccine. If you do read this, please spread the word to your friends, our blog is great! I'm shooting for at least a post a week, and I don't plan on disappointing in that regard. So that's it, just thought I'd let everybody know that I haven't forgotten about you all. It's time to kick ass, and chew bubblegum, and needless to say, but I'm all out of bubblegum.

The Pinocchio Complex

I’m a real boy. Pinocchio pleas with Papa Gipetto to acknowledge him as more than just a wooden object. There is more to this than meets the eye. On the surface, we have a classic children’s tale about a wooden boy becoming human. Underneath that? Well to put it simply Pinocchio’s story can be viewed as a critique or metaphor of society’s forced norms, or of the otherization of those who don’t get in line. I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s start slow.

Society is always sending mixed signals. You’ve probably seen ad campaigns, heard songs, or found some other type of media that tells you to express yourself. However whenever this is put into practice, don’t go looking for sympathy from the people and institutions that urged you to do what makes you happy. You will go wanting because our society is consistently hostile towards those who rock the boat. From the schools, to the streets, and all the way up to Washington D.C. The kid in high school who dresses strangely and does things that don’t fit in, well, to put it simply nobody is celebrating his/her eccentricities. The religious person who takes their opinion on God to the street, they are labeled a crazy zealot, or a “Jesus Freak”. In Washington, the politicians who break the mold (there are even fewer than you think) are not hailed for crafting their own view, they are rather put into a category all their own of radical ______ist. Ralph Nader and Dennis Kucinich are the best examples you’ll find. Ralph Nader is the only politician that hates corporations and still gets attention from the media. Kucinich has at times such off beat ideas as a Department of Peace. What a hippie! That’s what they shout on O’Reilly Factor. He probably smokes pot. That’s what they whisper in the senate chamber. It seems that the iconoclast is not as beloved as our society would like you to believe.

Back to Pinocchio for a second, I wonder why both the Disney version and the original story end with him becoming a “real” boy. Why is that viewed as the ultimate happy ending? What is so great about Pinocchio losing the thing that most defined him? Is homogenization a good thing? Gentrification? When we view these things in a vacuum we say that they are negative, but when we actually see them applied we view them as positive. From the moment he was born, not only did Pinocchio lie and claim to be real, he wished for it as well. The first part is what’s truly tragic about all of this. The other, in this case the wooden boy, immediately tries to shed his unique traits. Differences are not appreciated, they are apprehended. Outsiders are not welcomed they are warned. If you don’t see some part of yourself in the tale of Pinocchio then you are either a liar or you aren’t human. Think about any time you’ve acted against your true self for the sake of acceptance. Think about the time you wore something for the sake of fitting what others wanted from you. Starting to get the picture? We are all Pinocchio. In this example, there are no “real boys”. There is only society’s vision of what real is. Next to the quixotic figures who make up utopia, we are all wooden by comparison. The time has come to give up on the concept of real. It is time to embrace being wooden and imperfect.

Embracing our imperfections and idiosyncrasies is the only way to achieve happiness. Society will always have a view that excludes you in some way. Whether you are too tall, too fat, too skinny, too dumb, too smart, etc. There is no way to become real. We are left with two choices. Peel off all of our flawed wooden shell, and hope what lies underneath is real enough, or embrace the fact that we are not what society wants us to be, and work on improving what we’ve been given. The drive to become “real” enough is a drive towards death and self-hatred. Eventually this can be projected on others. Anyone who is even more wooden than you are can be blamed for your inability to reach perfection. Suddenly you’re now talking about turning the wooden people into kindling. During World War II more than 6 million people were deemed not real enough and were put to death across Europe. In China even more perished, their deaths justified in the same context. Why? What is it that allows entire nations of people to be swept up in a drive to perfection, or even some sort of confirmation or declaration of perfection? The leaders of these movements can be seen to have long wooden noses indeed if they truly believe that their goals were attainable. That is the sad truth of the matter, the people who value perfection the most are often the most imperfect. Last I checked, a perfect being would not seek to destroy life. And thus once again, even in Nazi Germany, we are shown the blonde blue eyed superman, the real titan who stands tall among the wooden masses. Where exactly were these Uber-real boys? Nowhere. They were nothing but drawings on posters. They do not exist. They cannot exist because perfection cannot exist. To say otherwise would be to lie, and as Pinocchio can teach us, the liars will be exposed one way or another.

I think that one problem that certainly plagues us in the modern age is the behavior of our leaders and the leading members of our society. Famous people are too concerned about sponsorships and profits to jeopardize those things with anything out of the ordinary. The best way to sum up this change? Think back to the 60s. John Lennon. Lennon says what he thinks. What he really thinks. It seems like such a novel idea today, that a celebrity would actually be willing to have a real opinion that they’ll share with everyone. Lennon was vocal on seemingly every major issue of the day. Today try and think of someone in a similar position who is nearly as willing to embrace their status as an outsider. Lennon realized he was wooden, realized that we were all wooden, and embraced it. In that way, he proved to be more real than anyone else. Who is the Lennon of today? There is none. It’s a sad truth, but everyone who has the platform to speak up, is too afraid to do so. For a myriad of reasons. Those who do, are mocked fairly openly. This has to change. It is time for everyone to accept that the standards of perfection are wrong. In my mind, imperfection is perfection. We must define for ourselves what being “real” is. Regardless of what Disney, and everyone says, I am content to remain a wooden boy. Refuse to become homogenized and gentrified.

Hello

To Whom It May Concern:

I am MacGuillicuttie, a new blogger on this blog. I hope to be an important, stimulating part of this organization as I plan to offer only the most intellectual of opinions on topics of my choosing. I have quite a bit to say. And Goodness Molly Gracious, I plan to say it (Yes, Goodness Gracious has a middle name and it is Molly). Anywhootersville. (An extended 'Anywho' for all who know not of my ways).

I Digress.

Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this great machine that is The Vaccine Blog. I look forward to each and every post I make.

"Every man has a purpose--his life and his ways are set apart from any other man who dares challenge them--which will set him free if he strives to reach it in everything he does: if this man breathes his purpose, if he consumes it, sweats it, bleeds, lives and dies it, he will truly know freedom."
-M.L. Krenmauer, from "A Pistol to My Foot: Journals from the War in 1812"

With All Due Respect,
MacGuillicuttie

The Upside of Anger

Yeah so that's a movie title, but this isn't about that movie (which I've heard mixed reviews about), this is about me being pissed off. I haven't written anything angry in quite some time, so I figure I need to, so I don't lose my edge. Here is some shit (that's a pun, you'll see) that has been pissing me off of late. It's all camp related.

1. Jewish Shit. A Jewish kid shat on my bed. Pun: see above. That's right, an Israeli statist dumped on my bed just like Israel dumps on Palestinians. Let me set the scene. We're all chilling in my room. Somehow, this kid gets in. He always wears Israeli Defense Force shirts. In other words, he openly endorses genocide. Is it ok to wear Jonjaweed shirts? No. Anyway, we're sitting, and then it begins to smell terrible in my room. This kid has a goofy smile on his face and blurts out, "my bad guys I farted." Keep in mind he is lounging on my bed as this happens. Not but five seconds later he gets up and walks towards the door. Before he goes, he says, "I have to go to the bathroom really bad." Wow, thanks, you definitely just shit on my bed. I feel like this is the ultimate injustice. He came back 30 minutes later with different pants on, the smoking gun. Absolutely vile. I did not sleep well that nite. Keep in mind he still denies this, I'd like to know exactly how the timing could be that perfect. It couldn't, it's a logical impossiblity.

2. PDA. Not palm pilots or blackberrys. I'm talking public displays of affection. My case in point is a good friend of mine, Lee, and his girlfriend Alyssa. So I don't mind hand holding, hugging, or any of the standard fare, but christ I don't want to watch intercourse happen in front of me. Let alone the sort of BDSM shit that they're always up to. Lee is always pushing her up against walls. They're groping and fondling. It's weird. Not to mention the like just general weirdness that they engage in. Despite this, Aleesa still manage to be incredibly awkward about their relationship. Sometimes they'll be afraid to like hold hands, or touch shoulders. It's confusing to say the least. Over the past 6 weeks I've heard this whiny phrase way too often, "Buuuuut Leeeeeeeee you can't doooo that." Based on the rest of what I'm saying I'll let you fill in the blank of what the "that" could be. I don't wanna vomit all over my computer.

3. Quinn Zemel. Nobody knows this person, but I assure you, he sucks. Everything he says is whiny and annoying. He uses far too much hair gel, it's a fucking fire hazard. Not to mention the glare coming off his stupid head when he is walking around. Throw in the fact that he is dumb as a rock, a bitch to play basketball with, and just an overall bane of my existence. He is also overly sensitive about Jewish jokes. The good thing is, I outlined reasons why he sucks. He thinks they're super generic when they are really, super specific.

4. Potle. There is a certain person I know, who refuses to call Chipotle by it's real name. He blatantly mispronounces it and admits as much. My time in Michigan has been marred by the constant nagging of this person. Constantly, it never stops. "Harr Harr, Potle!" There is so much wrong with those 3 words I don't know where to begin, honestly. He also wears women jeans. I feel like it should be obvious that if I wanted to be called by an effeminate nickname I would introduce myself that way. I'm not a teddy bear, or a dog, I'm a person, and it's annoying as hell to get called that. Unless it was a girl calling me that, but it isn't, it's a guy. It just makes it fucked up. We're old enough to get called by actual given names. Second of all. Why Potle? That's not the name of the restaurant. He takes off the pronunciation of the e so it becomes potel, which is just fucking infuriating. It's really not difficult to say it right. I actually have stopped going there since he started calling it that. Sorry Chipotle, but you pay for the sins of this idiot.

Blogging for Freedom

Recent events have brought up an interesting discussion about the role of new forms of media and communication in civil activism. In Iran, with a government crackdown on protesters who don't think Mahmoud should be in office some of the most accurate news was coming via Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube. Protesters utilized social networking sites to organize protests and coordinate their activities. What does this mean for the future? Are oppressive regimes honestly going to be brought down because of these sites? No, well, not exactly. I think where this really comes into play is the radical youth. All 3 of those sites are obviously used by, and geared towards young people. When the internet reaches nations, young people are exposed to new ideas and viewpoints. This is very interesting.

When the Berlin wall fell, the main reason (besides David Hasselhoff) was the activities of young people in East Germany. Watch that video, who filled up the crowd of onlookers as the wall fell? It was mostly young people. In this past presidential election, young people were a key demographic. With that in mind, candidates increased online campaigning beyond usual levels. Obama, the winner, was one of the first people in a long time who got young people out and voting. He was also the candidate who best used social networking sites to his advantage. There was even a debate based on questions posted on Youtube. That's progress.

I think it would be the ultimate irony if these sites that were invented with no serious purpose helped to cause a regime change in a totalitarian state (fingers crossed for Israel). We are watching the dawning of a new age in politics and political activism. Is it a good thing? We'll see, but I'm of the opinion that anything that is more inclusive, anything that allows more access, especially to young people, is a very good thing.

Matt & Kim are Grand

A band I've been jamming to a lot lately is Matt and Kim. Matt and Kim are a band from NYC that play pop/dance music. It's all very keyboard driven, but the sound is pretty stripped down as it usually seems to be electric piano, drums, and vocals. They've been building a lot of support and hype lately, and one of their songs was actually featured in a Heineken commercial. Anyway, I hope that you enjoy them as much as I do.

Daylight

Good Ol' Fashioned Nightmare

Silver Tiles

Grind Time

One past time that I enjoy very much is watching a good MC battle. Well the best place to find them I think (assuming you don't go to these/are an MC) is an online show called Grind Time. It pits 2 MCs against one another with a panel of judges. They get 3 rounds to think of creative ways to break down their opponent.. No music, no beat, they have to stand on their own. It's spectacular. Like 8 Mile, but 1000 times more awesome. Props to Max Hantel for the find.

Aak vs. Cerebral

Sahtyre vs. Dirtbag Dan

BC vs. High Collide

Note: I've only watched the first one of these three, so I can't speak to the quality of the others.