From the Mind of Manxom Vroom

arthur hawkins cover, the man without a head

2009-06-23T07:47:00.002-04:00

arthur hawkins cover, the man without a head, originally uploaded by A Journey Round My Skull.

eye hazards in industry

2009-06-23T07:46:00.002-04:00

eye hazards in industry, originally uploaded by A Journey Round My Skull.

Amazing set of book cover art.

2009-06-23T07:44:00.000-04:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ajourneyroundmyskull/sets/72157602435138527/

Albums added to iPod in April.

2009-05-01T15:46:00.003-04:00

Creedence Clearwater Revival, Chronicle Vol. 1
Butthole Surfers, Psychic...Powerless...Another Man's Sac
Cocteau Twins, Singles Collection
The Magnetic Fields, 69 Love Songs Vol. 1
Arvo Part, Tabula Rasa
Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, I Love Rock and Roll
Willie Nelson, Willie & the Wheel

Chain the Sun

2009-04-03T10:13:00.001-04:00

Chain the Sun, originally uploaded by Manxom Vroom.

Starburst

2009-04-03T10:12:00.003-04:00

Starburst, originally uploaded by Manxom Vroom.

Point of Entry

2009-04-03T10:12:00.001-04:00

Point of Entry, originally uploaded by Manxom Vroom.

2009-04-02T08:44:00.002-04:00

Random thought.

2009-04-02T07:18:00.001-04:00

I think I may have had the best day of my life yesterday. I hope it never ends.

A quick note.

2009-04-01T07:09:00.002-04:00

I feel so very good and mellow today. Kurt Cobain is speaking to me, but in a good way...such a beautiful man he was. I wish I could give him a hug.

Anyway, I have a special post planned for today, for April Fool's Day. I'll put it up after I do a few work-related things that need my attention.

The Rocky Horror Youtube Show!

2009-03-31T10:46:00.001-04:00

Albums added to iPod, March.

2009-03-31T08:57:00.000-04:00

Leonard Cohen: Dear Heather
U2: No Line on the Horizon, War, The Unforgettable Fire
Aimee Mann: The Forgotten Arm
Uakti & Philip Glass: Aguas da Amazonia
Bob Dylan: The Best of, Time Out of Mind
The Von Bondies: Lack of Communication, Raw and Rare
The Lords of the New Church: Killer Lords
Land of Kush: Against the Day
The Decemberists: The Hazards of Love
Beck: The Information
various selected tracks from Have a Nice Decade - The 70's Pop Culture Box
Van Morrison: Tupelo Honey

2009-03-31T08:05:00.000-04:00

Enjoy when you can, and endure when you must.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Flying First Class

2009-03-31T07:08:00.008-04:00

See the complete set here.

Flying First Class, originally uploaded by wackystuff.

Lassie: Lackey Imperialist Running Dog, originally uploaded by wackystuff.

The Sweet Look of Sucess, originally uploaded by wackystuff.

Random thought.

2009-03-30T09:19:00.001-04:00

Life is turning into a James Joyce novel
Ulysses, mostly
faster and faster
every minute of every day

Ones & Zeros

2009-03-30T07:55:00.003-04:00

Ones & Zeros

Everything in this world
Everything we see, touch, taste, smell and hear
Is all nothing more than binary code
A series of on/off switches
Black and white,
Yin and yang
It is growing and increasing in complexity
Every minute of every day.
The world around us is empty, meaningless
Existing in a state of pure potentiality
We impose meaning upon it, deciding if it is good or bad
If we like it or don’t like it
We are weaving a tapestry with our thoughts and perceptions
We impose meaning on that which has none
This process is called love

Love brings objects together in a way that is harmonious
Pleasing, a one instead of a zero
Pain and hatred are the zero
Void, anti, against
The closed door

I will chose love
I will open the closed door
I will let in the light that negates the darkness
Just as the ocean tide rolls into the beach and then pulls back
Ebb and flow
Wax and wane
Summer and winter
Give and take

I am small in a web of expanding complexity
I am starting to wake up
This process is painful
But for now, the pain is necessary
The pain is transient, fleeting
It will pass as all things do.

I love life
I love complexity
I embrace paradox, having faith that there is an answer
I am not afraid to die
But I fear it arising in others
In those whom I love.
What kind of world would we live in
If nobody feared death?
Death is not the end
All things show this:
Why are we still afraid?
Why am I still afraid?
Am I brave when I look in a kaleidoscope and turn the wheel?
Of course not, that’s not bravery
It’s a child’s toy, a playing.
So why chose fear?

I want to write fearlessly
I want to live fearlessly
I want to be someone who embraces change, ride it like a wave
Wherever it may take me
I want to channel love
And weave it like a tapestry
I want to make my life more beautiful

I will let go of the things that cause me pain
And hold fast to those that bring me pleasure
I will ride the wave, just as I am doing right now

I am free
Because I choose to be so

"Watching the Watchmen."

2009-03-29T16:26:00.002-04:00

Watching the Watchmen by Dave Gibbons

A behind-the-scenes tour of the making of "Watchmen," provided by Dave Gibbons. There are many pictures, rough sketches, and reproductions of Alan's Moore's typewritten script pages.

This is probably a must for any true Watchmen geek. It made me appreciate the artistry of the original series even more.

"Where the Wild Things Are" movie trailer.

2009-03-26T12:54:00.000-04:00

Reflecting on what's happening in the news lately.

2009-03-26T07:15:00.001-04:00

A I G

American International Group
Abysmal Instincts Guide
Assholes In Gabardine
Adventures In Greed
Accursed Infernal Ghouls
Abuse Intended Goodwill
Atavistic Immutable Graft
Antichrist Is Growing
Automatic Insanity Gains
Avarice Is Good
Abscond Ill-gotten Goods
American Institutional Gangrene
Acrimonious Intervention Government
Attorneys Involved Gruesome
Affidavits Inflame Gout
Air Internal Grievances
Attack It Gladiators
Abolish Inferior Godfathers
Admonish Insensitive Gurus
Admit Ignominious Greed
Adulterated Imbecilic Grime
Always In Gobbledygook
Abnormal Infected Goblins
Accelerate Illegal Goldbricking
Another Impetuous Grab
Adam, It’s Ghastly
Abdicate Inherited Gold
Addicted Ingrates Grovel
Anger Intensifies Greatly
Absolution Is Gone
Advocate Instant Gunplay
Abattoir Idiot Ghetto
Adios Investment Gobblers
Abhorrent Icon Gone
Affix Imaginary Grief
American Illusions Graveyard
Actions Illuminate God

…

In Need of a Funeral

It seems to me that
the United States
and the world at large
are going through a huge, painful change
right now
economic meltdown brought on by greed
is this the death of capitalism
that the communists used to predict?
Kruschev said “we will bury you”
but he died first
too bad he’s not still around
our American corpse is lying out in the sun
being picked apart by vultures
we’re stinking up the place
somebody please bury us
so that we can be reborn
into something new

Just a few more pomes.

2009-03-25T09:19:00.001-04:00

Rib Cage

Sometimes I feel like the sun burns within my chest
It burns and yearns to shine so brightly
so that everyone can see
I want to melt this body like a candle
drops of hot wax
splash
then cool
and congeal
that’s not me, it’s something else.

But my ribs are a cage
a cage around the sun
no matter how hard I try
I cannot melt the bars
and so I just sit here and burn
Nobody knows
Nobody sees
How could they?
I won’t let them.

…

a bug’s life

why must i be so small?
why must i be hidden
right here, in plain sight?
why did i choose this?
what the fuck was i thinking?

I want to break free
I want to roam and fly
I want to be worshipped and loved
and do so in return
I I I
Me Myself and I
Yes, it’s all about ME
I’m sick of living under a rock
like a bug
touch it and it
contractsintoatightlittleball

F U C K T H A T
I’m not a bug
I’m sick of obscurity and anonymity
I’m not afraid
I want to throw rocks
not live underneath them.

Creme that egg.

2009-03-25T07:33:00.002-04:00

I heartily salute whoever put the time and effort into making this. This really is kind of amazing.

(Via The Swivet)

A rare Aleister Crowley first edition.

2009-03-25T07:18:00.005-04:00

crowley title 1, originally uploaded by Pagan555.

crowley title 2, originally uploaded by Pagan555.

Is copying stealing?

2009-03-23T08:03:00.001-04:00

First, check out this delightful little video I saw via Boing Boing:

Nina Sings "Copying Isn't Theft" from Reel 13 on Vimeo.

...

This article here that questions the goodness of "free libraries" makes an interesting counterpoint to the video:

I do not argue that free libraries should close, but merely wonder about their legitimacy in the 21st century.

Aine wrote: "Public libraries do not compete with the local bookshop, they offer a lot more than the bookshop can ever offer." I see. Not just competition, but state-subsidised uber-competition.

"Where else," she asks, "can you get access to high-speed broadband internet access for free, or for a small minimal charge? Where else can you get access to books on CD, or on tape for the cost of your annual library membership charge, or in many cases, for free?"

That f-word appears three times in her next paragraph about library services for children. Of course, they're not free, but are all paid for by a creature who finally makes its appearance in the last word of Aine's letter: "The benefits of a public library to a community are enormous, and far outweigh the cost to the taxpayer."

The entire article is worth the read, although I found the writer's style to be rather convoluted and blowhardy at times.

Now I have a confession to make: I've copied a lot of music from compact disks that I've checked out from the library. A LOT. Yesterday I counted the number of albums on my iPod I've copied and came up with more than 200. Most of the titles fall under the heading of classic rock and alternative rock. I've also cherry-picked a lot of songs from numerous "greatest hits" and "best of" anthologies. I've freely copied more music from Johnny Cash than any other artist.

So now I ask myself: am I a thief?

I do believe that artists should be compensated for their work. In many cases I've bought the CD or legally downloaded music that I first copied from the library, especially if the band or artist is still actively trying to make a living in what they do. I have no intention however of trying to do this for every single title on my list - it just doesn't seem necessary.

The "Copying Isn't Stealing" song is so delightful and charming that I can't help but be swayed by it. How could it be wrong to discover and explore so much new music that I would otherwise never hear? Am I ripping off these artists by copying a CD from the library? I'm just a regular guy who loves music and wants to do the right thing.

If anyone has thoughts and opinions about this I would love to hear them.

Free music from NIN, Jane's Addiction and Street Sweeper.

2009-03-21T08:26:00.002-04:00

I bought my ticket yesterday, and I'm totally psyched for this show. I never did get a chance to see Jane's Addiction, either back in their heyday or during one of their previous reunion tours.

http://www.ninja2009.com/

(Via Rolling Stone)

Just some pomes.

2009-03-20T08:50:00.000-04:00

Last week during my yoga class I discussed a few things that I had experienced during meditation with Brian, my yoga instructor (I sit and meditate for twenty minutes every morning after drinking some coffee and reading a bit of the newspaper). Brian suggested that I try writing some poetry about my thoughts and experiences during meditation as a way of exploring them. I liked this idea very much, and immediately starting scribbling away in my little black notebook.

My first inclination was to keep these poems private, but I asked myself "why?" Why not put these out on the blog? I haven't written much fiction lately, but the thought of writing poetry, of doing something very quick, very personal with no expectations of seeing it published or trying to make money off of it is immensely appealing to me. It's writing for the pure love of expression and nothing more, which is the best kind.

I can't quite bring myself to call this "poetry," because when I hear the word poetry I think of John Keats and William Shakespeare. I have no pretensions to literary greatness. These are "just some pomes." I think that Jack Kerouac may have used the term "pomes" for his own work, but I'm not sure. Looking it up on Wikipedia I see that pomes are, "In botany, a pome (after the Latin name for fruit: pomum) is a type of fruit produced by flowering plants in the subfamily Maloideae of the family Rosaceae." I like that. It fits.

On this first day of spring I give to you, gentle reader, a new category of blog entry called "Just Some Pomes." Here's my first fruit, straight from the mind of Manxom Vroom.

...

The Music Never Stops

Many thanks to god for the gift of music
My iPod has so many peas, all sweet and delicious
Some I have paid for, some I have plucked from the library of natural abundance
Songs flow freely like milk and honey
I am never without my music

Leonard Cohen dances with Aimee Mann to the Lords of the New Church
Philip Glass gurgles down the Amazon with U2
Led Zeppelin and Robert Johnson perform together on the same stage for the first time in history
Glenn Gould and Tori Amos share the same piano bench

My entire life as a lover of music rests within the palm of my hand
I must remember to give thanks more often

...

Still Waiting

I’m still waiting
for the email
for the link
for the brief encounter
for the furtive look across a crowded room
for the gut feeling
for the word
for the one small thing
that will change my life forever
it’s out there
somewhere
in one space
and one time
as yet unknown

...

Eternal Question

Have I lived before
in another life?
Will I live again
in another life
Who the fuck knows?
I do