I feel that simply writing a list of all the swag I scored for Christmas is pretty lame, but on the other hand, I know there's at least one person who is curious to know what I got. So I'm thinking a good compromise is to just talk about some of the things I got and offer my opinions on them as I go through them.
Which is actually what the last post (or two or three?) was about. Even more to follow.
Showing posts with label holidays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label holidays. Show all posts
03 January, 2010
24 December, 2009
08 November, 2009
Christmas and Consumerism
[I wouldn't even be talking about Christmas this early (yes, it's still early), but for a certain somebody who allegedly decided to jump the gun. But since it allows me to talk briefly about zombies, being that it's only been a week since Halloween, I'll allow it.]
Previously I had stated (or did I?) that rampant consumerism was my primary complaint against the Holidays (with a capital 'H'). Watching George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead ironically had an opposite effect on me to what I presume it intended. In the film, as everyone knows, a handful of people hole themselves up in an abandoned mall - well, not quite abandoned, as it's teeming with zombies. The brainless zombies shambling about the mall is supposed to be a statement about consumers - after all, cannibalism is the ultimate form of consumption, is it not? Meanwhile, the band of survivors make use of the mall's facilities, basking in the glory of an abundance of unclaimed merchandise, ultimately becoming bored and disgusted with their daily habit.
Perhaps I, too, would become bored after weeks, months, of unrestricted access to consumer goods. After all, "stuff" - as fun as it may be - can never hope to fulfill the deeper emotional needs of the human soul. But the fact remains that, in moderation, consumerism can be a component of happiness and fulfillment (if short term). (Imagine one of those beer commercials, but for shopping - "consume responsibly"). The problem is addiction; and I believe that this country has gone way past the limit of responsible consumerism, to the point that it obscures, rather than aids, that quest for those deeper needs previously mentioned.
So I re-evaluated my opinion of the Holidays, and while I still think there is too much "stuff" involved, I don't believe that it's inherently a bad thing, if kept in check. What hasn't changed, however, is my opinion on the rite of gift-giving. It's not "stuff" that I hate, it's surprises. I don't like the guesswork, and I don't like the pressure of needing to please, or even needing to be pleased.
When I give (and also shop for) a gift, it's a stressful matter of "will he/she like it?" And yet when I receive a gift, it's not a matter of "will he like it?", because I feel obligated to like it. It's not a question. Not liking it isn't an option, because I don't have it in me to knowingly disappoint another person. So I have to like it. And eliminating my ability to not like it also eliminates my ability to genuinely like it, since there's no longer a choice. So regardless of what my true feelings are, there's a pervasive sense of disingenuousness there, which I am particularly opposed to.
Of course, there's the concept of the "Christmas List". When I was a kid, Christmas was about writing up a list of all the "stuff" I wanted, and then waiting till Christmas when I would get a large portion of it. The dynamics have changed, and Christmas for me today is more responsibility and less basking in the spoils. It probably sounds selfish of me to complain about that, but I'm perfectly willing to give up the spoils in order for me to abdicate the responsibilities.
It's not that I'm against giving people things and thereby lighting up their lives, per se. It's, as I mentioned above, the guesswork, and the surprise, that bugs me. It's the "what if?" that haunts me. The Christmas List seeks to ameliorate that problem, but tragically it does an imperfect job. If one person writes up a list, then everyone buying for that person has to coordinate their plans to avoid duplicity - er, duplication. This can be a Herculean effort. Plus, it requires more interpersonal communication than I am comfortable with. And then there's the dangerous allure (for some people) of buying off the list, to increase the surprise, the risk, and the potential payoff in terms of the receiver's feelings. Some people enjoy gambling - I am not one of them.
But even in the straightforward case of buying off a list or, even better, "you, buy this, for me", there is this phony illusion of secrecy, and a sense of extraneous runaround. I think cash or gift certificates are great gifts because they put the power of purchase in the receiver's hands. Unfortunately, they don't make very impressive gifts, though, and are thus generally perceived as being "lazy" and "lacking in thought". Some people might even go so far as to argue, that a failed gift choice is better than cash because at least the person tried, to put some thought into it - and after all, "it's the thought that counts", right?
And lest you think I'm solely being selfish, I don't especially enjoy receiving gifts either. If it's something I like, I like having it, but I don't like the process of receiving it. As I mentioned above, it makes me feel obligated to like it, and if the gesture isn't already (or simultaneously, as is generally the case with the Holidays) reciprocated, then it also burdens me with the weight of debt.
As I've said in the past (like last year, for example), if it was up to me, the rite of gift-giving wouldn't be restricted to Christmas morning. The Holiday season would be a time for friends and family to go out shopping, together, buying things for each other, on the spot - things that the receiver expresses explicit interest in having. This would preserve the spirit of mutual charity as well as the excitement of spontaneity while eliminating the burden of calculated conspiracy (conspiracy to please is still conspiracy), and it would also replace the stressful shopping experience with one that is decidedly more enjoyable.
Previously I had stated (or did I?) that rampant consumerism was my primary complaint against the Holidays (with a capital 'H'). Watching George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead ironically had an opposite effect on me to what I presume it intended. In the film, as everyone knows, a handful of people hole themselves up in an abandoned mall - well, not quite abandoned, as it's teeming with zombies. The brainless zombies shambling about the mall is supposed to be a statement about consumers - after all, cannibalism is the ultimate form of consumption, is it not? Meanwhile, the band of survivors make use of the mall's facilities, basking in the glory of an abundance of unclaimed merchandise, ultimately becoming bored and disgusted with their daily habit.
Perhaps I, too, would become bored after weeks, months, of unrestricted access to consumer goods. After all, "stuff" - as fun as it may be - can never hope to fulfill the deeper emotional needs of the human soul. But the fact remains that, in moderation, consumerism can be a component of happiness and fulfillment (if short term). (Imagine one of those beer commercials, but for shopping - "consume responsibly"). The problem is addiction; and I believe that this country has gone way past the limit of responsible consumerism, to the point that it obscures, rather than aids, that quest for those deeper needs previously mentioned.
So I re-evaluated my opinion of the Holidays, and while I still think there is too much "stuff" involved, I don't believe that it's inherently a bad thing, if kept in check. What hasn't changed, however, is my opinion on the rite of gift-giving. It's not "stuff" that I hate, it's surprises. I don't like the guesswork, and I don't like the pressure of needing to please, or even needing to be pleased.
When I give (and also shop for) a gift, it's a stressful matter of "will he/she like it?" And yet when I receive a gift, it's not a matter of "will he like it?", because I feel obligated to like it. It's not a question. Not liking it isn't an option, because I don't have it in me to knowingly disappoint another person. So I have to like it. And eliminating my ability to not like it also eliminates my ability to genuinely like it, since there's no longer a choice. So regardless of what my true feelings are, there's a pervasive sense of disingenuousness there, which I am particularly opposed to.
Of course, there's the concept of the "Christmas List". When I was a kid, Christmas was about writing up a list of all the "stuff" I wanted, and then waiting till Christmas when I would get a large portion of it. The dynamics have changed, and Christmas for me today is more responsibility and less basking in the spoils. It probably sounds selfish of me to complain about that, but I'm perfectly willing to give up the spoils in order for me to abdicate the responsibilities.
It's not that I'm against giving people things and thereby lighting up their lives, per se. It's, as I mentioned above, the guesswork, and the surprise, that bugs me. It's the "what if?" that haunts me. The Christmas List seeks to ameliorate that problem, but tragically it does an imperfect job. If one person writes up a list, then everyone buying for that person has to coordinate their plans to avoid duplicity - er, duplication. This can be a Herculean effort. Plus, it requires more interpersonal communication than I am comfortable with. And then there's the dangerous allure (for some people) of buying off the list, to increase the surprise, the risk, and the potential payoff in terms of the receiver's feelings. Some people enjoy gambling - I am not one of them.
But even in the straightforward case of buying off a list or, even better, "you, buy this, for me", there is this phony illusion of secrecy, and a sense of extraneous runaround. I think cash or gift certificates are great gifts because they put the power of purchase in the receiver's hands. Unfortunately, they don't make very impressive gifts, though, and are thus generally perceived as being "lazy" and "lacking in thought". Some people might even go so far as to argue, that a failed gift choice is better than cash because at least the person tried, to put some thought into it - and after all, "it's the thought that counts", right?
And lest you think I'm solely being selfish, I don't especially enjoy receiving gifts either. If it's something I like, I like having it, but I don't like the process of receiving it. As I mentioned above, it makes me feel obligated to like it, and if the gesture isn't already (or simultaneously, as is generally the case with the Holidays) reciprocated, then it also burdens me with the weight of debt.
As I've said in the past (like last year, for example), if it was up to me, the rite of gift-giving wouldn't be restricted to Christmas morning. The Holiday season would be a time for friends and family to go out shopping, together, buying things for each other, on the spot - things that the receiver expresses explicit interest in having. This would preserve the spirit of mutual charity as well as the excitement of spontaneity while eliminating the burden of calculated conspiracy (conspiracy to please is still conspiracy), and it would also replace the stressful shopping experience with one that is decidedly more enjoyable.
02 November, 2009
4 Years of Pumpkin Carving
I don't remember what sort of jack-o-lanterns I carved prior to three years ago, or even if I bothered to carve one. Sure, I carved as a kid, but that was a long time ago. While I was away at school, I doubt I carved any, since I was absorbed in my studies during Halloween, and away from the family atmosphere that promotes such activities as pumpkin carving (as opposed to horror movie watching, which I do regardless of atmosphere - and, in fact, year-round). But I have records of the jack-o-lanterns I've carved in the previous three years, plus this most recent one.
My approach to pumpkin carving is to create a design that is simple, with few cuts, but has a distinct and decidedly creepy look (i.e., no incredibly generic triangle-eyed square-toothed grins). Basically, I'm not an expert pumpkin carver, I'm just a guy with a knife - so it's gotta be something simple or else I'm likely to screw it up, but on the other hand, I care enough about it that I want it to be something memorable. And though this isn't a steadfast rule, I generally go for faces, rather than symbols or something else, as that's just the traditional approach.
Here you can see my jack-o-lantern from Halloween 2006. It was inspired by the "character" of The Engineer (specifically, this image - warning: grotesque imagery) from the first Hellraiser movie. I had just seen the movie for the first time that October, and was quite enamored with it. I tried my best translating The Engineer to pumpkin form, and I think it was a good idea, and I'm glad I tried it, but I believe the overall result was less than absolutely spectacular. If anything, the problem here was that the source design was just too complex.
In 2007, I went a bit simpler. Although this design was not based on anything specific, to my recollection, I must have still had the Hellraiser aesthetic on my mind, as that's what the stitched eyes remind me of. I really like that detail, though. It was tricky to pull off, carving it, but I feel the effect was worth the effort. For the mouth I just wanted to radiate a feeling of torment, screaming - this jack-o-lantern was meant to clearly be in a lot of pain. This is not a monster pumpkin you are to be frightened of, but a victim whose pain you empathize with. Unless the torture is self-inflicted!
My 2008 jack-o-lantern appears to be a variation on the previous year's design. I was definitely going for a 'blob monster' kind of feel with this one. Maybe some kind of a swamp thing. I have to admit I like how it turned out, and I think the 'blob' effect works well. Carving that mouth was a little tricky, though - you have to be careful not to be too rough or cut the 'slime trails' too thin or you might lose one. I also shaved the surface of them back a bit to give them a slight recessed look, so that the mouth looked like one entity and not three separate, adjacent openings.
And we come to this year's jack-o-lantern. I had two ideas to choose from, based on two movies in my mindset this year. I had recently seen Paranormal Activity, which I was rather impressed (read: scared shirtless) by, and I was (and, at this moment, am still) anticipating The Fourth Kind, which hits this weekend. The former is about a ghost haunting, and the latter, alien abduction - two forms of fright that are the most successful at still scaring me even as an adult. Since the demon/ghost in Paranormal Activity is invisible, as ghosts usually tend to be, the decision was pretty much made for me. :p
So I decided to do an alien face, which may not be the most original idea, but how many extraterrestrial jack-o-lanterns do you actually see? Anyway, I don't recall ever having done it before, so I was excited to give it a try. And I really like the result. I must admit, the pumpkin I had at my disposal was just about perfect, being more of the tall rather than plump variety. Carving the design was pretty straightforward, the only challenge being the tiny nostrils. In order to allow enough light to come through so that they are not ignored, you have to carve at a widening angle as you go back, like an archer's window in a medieval castle turret. But, especially with such a small hole on the outside surface, it's tricky to carve back without inadvertently widening the hole. You have to be very careful.
My approach to pumpkin carving is to create a design that is simple, with few cuts, but has a distinct and decidedly creepy look (i.e., no incredibly generic triangle-eyed square-toothed grins). Basically, I'm not an expert pumpkin carver, I'm just a guy with a knife - so it's gotta be something simple or else I'm likely to screw it up, but on the other hand, I care enough about it that I want it to be something memorable. And though this isn't a steadfast rule, I generally go for faces, rather than symbols or something else, as that's just the traditional approach.
Here you can see my jack-o-lantern from Halloween 2006. It was inspired by the "character" of The Engineer (specifically, this image - warning: grotesque imagery) from the first Hellraiser movie. I had just seen the movie for the first time that October, and was quite enamored with it. I tried my best translating The Engineer to pumpkin form, and I think it was a good idea, and I'm glad I tried it, but I believe the overall result was less than absolutely spectacular. If anything, the problem here was that the source design was just too complex.
In 2007, I went a bit simpler. Although this design was not based on anything specific, to my recollection, I must have still had the Hellraiser aesthetic on my mind, as that's what the stitched eyes remind me of. I really like that detail, though. It was tricky to pull off, carving it, but I feel the effect was worth the effort. For the mouth I just wanted to radiate a feeling of torment, screaming - this jack-o-lantern was meant to clearly be in a lot of pain. This is not a monster pumpkin you are to be frightened of, but a victim whose pain you empathize with. Unless the torture is self-inflicted!
My 2008 jack-o-lantern appears to be a variation on the previous year's design. I was definitely going for a 'blob monster' kind of feel with this one. Maybe some kind of a swamp thing. I have to admit I like how it turned out, and I think the 'blob' effect works well. Carving that mouth was a little tricky, though - you have to be careful not to be too rough or cut the 'slime trails' too thin or you might lose one. I also shaved the surface of them back a bit to give them a slight recessed look, so that the mouth looked like one entity and not three separate, adjacent openings.
And we come to this year's jack-o-lantern. I had two ideas to choose from, based on two movies in my mindset this year. I had recently seen Paranormal Activity, which I was rather impressed (read: scared shirtless) by, and I was (and, at this moment, am still) anticipating The Fourth Kind, which hits this weekend. The former is about a ghost haunting, and the latter, alien abduction - two forms of fright that are the most successful at still scaring me even as an adult. Since the demon/ghost in Paranormal Activity is invisible, as ghosts usually tend to be, the decision was pretty much made for me. :p
So I decided to do an alien face, which may not be the most original idea, but how many extraterrestrial jack-o-lanterns do you actually see? Anyway, I don't recall ever having done it before, so I was excited to give it a try. And I really like the result. I must admit, the pumpkin I had at my disposal was just about perfect, being more of the tall rather than plump variety. Carving the design was pretty straightforward, the only challenge being the tiny nostrils. In order to allow enough light to come through so that they are not ignored, you have to carve at a widening angle as you go back, like an archer's window in a medieval castle turret. But, especially with such a small hole on the outside surface, it's tricky to carve back without inadvertently widening the hole. You have to be very careful.
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