Understanding Mass Communication

I'm sitting in my Understanding Mass Communication class. We're talking about the nature of derivative works. I'm going to take notes in my blog.

The professor's talking about the prevailing ideology that derivative works are of lesser value than original works. Now he's talking about how flawed that ideology is. Now that weird noise that happens three or four times every class is happening.

All ideas build on existing ones. No idea exists in a bubble. Copyright is designed to protect the rights of society. The public domian exists so that people may build on ideas.

Now we're talking about Santa Clause as a derivative work and also about the practice of hip-hop sampling. I can dig this.

Something I like about this professor is how excited he gets about these discussions. I also like that he keeps that snooty little blog: In Media Res.

When someone gets paid to write something we tend to see that as a a sign of credential and authority. This is part of why we consider writers of fan fiction to offer less true interpretations of a narrative than the paid writers for that narrative.

My professor has the most intense mutton chops. Fan Fiction is funny to talk about. This one kid in my class looks like a gargoyle. My professor is such a Jewy Jew Jew.

This lecture isn't going anywhere interesting.

This is my life right now

In Media Res

I'm sitting in my Understanding Mass Communication class right now. My professor just showed us his blog: In Media Res. It's a media blog. The name's clever, I think. It's hour 1,000 of awesomefest: my 24 hour non-stop academics fest. It started at 1:30 am. It's 2:16 pm right now. This dude is talking about Filipino Americans and Superman. He's talking about them at the same time. My brain can't do this right now. I need a fucking nap. I have to go straight from class to work, though. Then after work I'm editing for the rest of my life. This probably isn't interesting to anyone. What the fuck is fascination adoration? What is frustration antagonism?

I can't keep my eyes open. How am I going to last another 12 hours? Pan galactic straw-boss. This is real. What is happening? He's talking about clouds and star trek and laser pointers or something. Let me explain something to you:

I know fanatacism is all about object-attachment. But right now the only thing to which I have any attachment is the possibility of sleep. I am feeling marginalized right now because I am not asleep.

I hate fan fiction. Fan fiction is like the anal leakage of society. Blogs are legit though. Reeeeeeal legit.

P.S. My professor was just telling me about the time he spent in ISRAEL. MY LIFE IS FULL OF MEDIA LOVING JEWS!!! LOLOLOLOLOLOLOOLLOL1l1110101l1ol11!!1!!!11!

House Hunters International

Okay, blog. Let's be honest with each other right now. House Hunters International IS awkward. Here are the reasons why:

1) Host Suzanne Wong- Suzanne, just like every other part of this show, is American posing as something else.

2) Ethnocentric Production - Everyone speaks English on camera. House values are all presented in American dollars.

3) Fuck you HGTV I'm drunk- Yeah, what bitch?!

Okay. Drunk may be a bit much. But I'm angry.


I feel like I probably had something better to say a few hours ago. I'll get back to you on that, blog.

Scooters, Vacation, Fall

"Scooters", "vacation", and "fall" were the suggested labels for this post.

Right now I'm sitting in Fairgrounds Coffee. Two tables over a man in his 60's is showing a woman and her daughter some poorly photoshopped pictures of the daughter's face and torso. I think maybe the man is the daughter's plastic surgeon. I hope that he re-crafts her nose with better perspective than is shown in the picture. Actually, I guess it'd be cooler if her nose contradicted all that we know about physics. He can't make it look much worse than it does now.

I've got a ton of shit to do before school's over. Here's a sample of a conversation I had with one of my slacker Comm 395 group members earlier:

Stupid Dude: "Dude, I just took the biggest dump EVER. It was probably like this long (stretches stubby arms to full extension) and this thick (makes circle with sausage fingers)."
Me: "Oh, good. Since you're not full of shit anymore maybe you can start doing some work on this project."

Lately I've been kind of on edge. Things to do before May 5th:

Take my car to the shop to get oil changed
Finish Documentary
Write 20 page script
Write 35 page treatment
5 Page Comm Analysis Paper
Comm Analysis Final Exam
Screenwriting Final Exam
Game Design/Creation Project
Live Sound Performance Project
Buy Shirt for Wedding

College is just a big lie. I refuse to get stressed about it, though. This may not be a healthy attitude toward school, but I feel like none of this is real. No matter what happens in these next three weeks, four weeks from now I will be in the Virgin Islands drinking pina collodas and playing Pokemon Platinum on Nintendo DS. That is reality. Maybe instead of doing my homework I'll write a book of poems. LOL JK poems are weak shit. I'd rather author the little jokes they put on the value brand popsicle sticks. No offense, Maya Angelou. You're still reppin' hard. But bitches like Emily Dickinson are giving you guys a bad name.

It's the day after Easter and as I think about Jesus I wonder if he ever had to deal with stupid fucking group projects. I know he had to make the ultimate sacrifice and he died for our sins and stuff, but did he ever have to work with a bunch of idiots on an assignment that counted as 30% of his grade? At least Jesus knew he had a legit purpose on Earth. Right now the only thing I know for sure is that I'm going to drink some MAD pina colladas in a few weeks.

Okay. I guess I'm going to go back to working on my Sound Design script. Thanks for letting me vent, blog.

Jesus Christ Super Starr

Today was Rachel Starr's 21st birthday.

I ate a ton of seafood.

My First Place and Property Virgins are the same show.

HGTV plays a more important role in my life than it should.

I get to see Jordan this weekend.

I have temporarily adopted list format.

First person pronouns are my favorite.

I need a hug.

Oh, thanks Pip.

Tyler and I will go in the history books.

Is this becoming a poem?

It had better not.

I'll write better soon.

Guess Who's Back; Back Again. Danny's Back. Tell a Friend.

I haven't posted in this thing in almost two years. Isn't that intense? That's a hypothetical question. You know this much because it was asked through a single directional medium. Some scholars would argue that blogs are NOT a single directional medium because readers can leave comments. These scholars are worthless and wrong.

I have to write a ten page short script this evening. The time is 10:22pm EST. Will I finish this script tonight? Yes. Will it be about an "Embrace Diversity" day-camp ravaged by a troupe of xenophobic zombies? Quite possibly.

This is my last resort. Every other script idea that I've come up with turns out to be an exact replica of an already existing Hollywood script. For what it's worth, I'm pretty sure that there aren't any stories about skin-head mutants. No, wait. Fuck! The Hills Have Eyes! God dammit!!! gjaoioegjaiwj89awt3!!!!

Now it's 10:33pm EST. I've spent most of the last 11 minutes channel surfing. My journey ended on cable channel 27: HGTV. It's a rerun of Renovation Realities but I haven't seen this one yet. This episode's renovator has a really mean handlebar mustache. Jesus, this show is boring even by HGTV standards. I just missed an episode of House Hunters. That's way more legit.

Shit! This woman owns a Bichon Frise like my mom's dog, Xena. This woman's dog is actually uglier. I know it's hard to believe.

I start to feel ashamed watching HGTV because all of the commercials are for Kashi and Playtex. I understand that the purpose of marketing is to make money, but these ads are reifnorcing gender stereotypes like whoa.

10:40 pm EST. God, I don't want to start on this script. This show is so boring. Ahhhhh shit someone is about to use itallliiiiiiicccccssss! Okay, this needs to end. Now a little teaser:

Ext. Diversity Camp-Day

A group of students sits. Members of every ethnicity, gender, creed, and sexual orientation are present.

David: "Guys, I think we've finally made some real progress."
Angela: "Yeah! I feel so close to all of you. It's like our differences don't even matter anymore!"
Mohinder: "Our differences make us special!"

As the members of Unicamp embrace in a group hug, BORIS lags behind. He has a pale complexion and red eyes.

Mohinder: "What's a matter, Boris? Did you forget all we've learned about uni-love?!"

Campers laugh and continue hugging and smiling. Boris lunges forward and sinks his razor sharp teeth into Mohinder's ear. He bites the skin loose, tearing open Mohinder's face. Boris then begins to cry in agony.

Boris: "He's eating my brains! Dear God! He's eating my fucking brains!"

Now campers notice a wave of bodies climbing over Happy Hill and toward their campsite. Members of every ethnicity, creed, gender, and sexual orientation are represented in the un-dead militia. As they creep toward the camp the sunny sky is obstructed by dark, ominous clouds. The wind picks up and heavy rain begins to fall. Campers run in every direction, but zombies are everywhere, eating brains without discrimination.

Angela: "Is this Hell?"
David: "No. Some of the zombies are Christian."