Friday, May 6, 2011

Here's what irks me...

So….Matt Dean (MN politician) apologized for calling Neil Gaiman a thief.  Well Dean said more than that about Gaiman but no need to repeat verbatim since its utter nonsense. Here’s what irks me about this interchange.  Why is it that if a creative person receives $45K for a speaking engagement he is considered a thief?  But if a CEO receives a million dollar bonus (after all these bailouts) there is NO outcry?  Gaiman replies that he’s given most of the money away to charity.  Very noble indeed.  HOWEVER, even if Gaiman had kept every red cent so he can continue to do his creative work, why is that wrong?  Gaiman happens to be one of the more successful creative types, which I think is great, rock on dude!! But goodness I want to throw up my hands in utter dismay at the complete lack of respect from Dean.  Even his apology rang false.  Good thing Gaiman can respond to the criticism in such a cool proper British way.  My fiery Mexican blood would not have handled it quite so coolly. 

All artwork, photos, and text © Copyright 2008-2011 Liliana Almendarez unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Liliana Almendarez.

Thursday, May 5, 2011

“Resistance is Futile"

Today, I forgot my iPhone at home and it made me realize how addicted I am to being connected via email/text and phone. All my contacts are on that little contraption so I can’t call anyone from work without it in my hand. It’s also been awhile since I had a phone number memorized. At the moment, I have two numbers memorized, my own and my parent’s house. Hehehe. Who else do I need to talk to? The only reason why I know their phone number is because they’ve had it for the last 25 years. Anyway, now without phone in hand, I can’t call up or text my friends when I’m having a slow moment at work. Hmmm. What’s wrong with this picture?

I grew up without a cell phone attached to my hand. I come from a generation where cell phones were a luxury item but now that we’ve entered upon a generation of on-call /instant messaging/twittering communities…gosh, it’s really hard to go back. I’ve been saying to friends and family that I’m going to scale back from this high tech reality and just go back to a cell phone that only makes calls, nothing more. But truth be told, it’s a lot harder than I thought. This online presence is all-encompassing and without the technology, I feel like I’ve unplugged from the hive. “Resistance is futile.”

I work at a company that limits internet access because of compliance issues so I relied on my iPhone to check e-mails. And now I’m antsy because I haven’t checked e-mail all morning. What kind of twisted nightmare have I allowed in to warp my brain circuitry so that without internet access…I can’t sit still? Hmm? This is one of those moments where all this time on my hands has me thinking too much.

Funny, thinking about this has me recalling something Jeff Vandermeer’s wrote in Booklife about how all this access fragments us. Yes it does!! Dag it!! And now I have 4 and a half more hours before the day is done. I was supposed to go to a gallery opening tonight but unfortunately all the info is on my phone. Argh! I was going to slip the postcard into my book this morning just to have written details but I was running late...so much for a swanky party. Who says swanky in this day in age?
All for now….it’s time to unplug.

Peace,

L~

All artwork, photos, and text © Copyright 2008-2011 Liliana Almendarez unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Liliana Almendarez.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Pleasure principle

The last couple of days I’ve been trying to get up early to do some writing. The body and mind are just not willing. I get up just long enough to feed my very loud meowing cat. Then I go back to sleep for a couple of more hours. I know I’m capable of getting up; after all, I’ve done it in the past. But…..*yawn*….been too sleepy lately. I think it’s all the allergy medicine I’m taking. Meanwhile, my story is wilting in the corner. Eeek! I’ve got to get my act together and just write.

Meanwhile, over the weekend, I finally picked up Kathe Koja’s book, Under the Poppy. The book came out last November and I’ve held off reading it out of sheer deprivation. Now that it’s in my grubby little hands, I meant to read only a chapter and managed to read 120 pages instead. Her writing is so damn good!! She does an amazing job of allowing the characters to evolve. There is nothing but sheer pleasure reading her work.
I think that’s all I’ve got for now.

Peace,

L~


All artwork, photos, and text © Copyright 2008-2011 Liliana Almendarez unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Liliana Almendarez.