Dave Matusiak
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Carrboro, NC
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09.18.02

today was a day of heavy rumination. lately i have had a lot on my mind and today must have been the day to process it. here is something i wrote and posted to the internetworkers discussion list. if you are so inclined, let me know what you think.
dave ;)
---
Today during lunch I finished reading the first non-technical book I've read in years. The book is Ishmael and it was written over a decade ago by Daniel Quinn. It was recommended to me by a friend who could see that my faith in the world had been irreparably shattered.

To say that Ishmael restored my lost faith would be incorrect, however, within this simple story lie several examples of universal wisdom and these at least give me some hope. Ishmael captures your attention from the outset by seeking pupils with “an earnest desire to save the world” and then takes you on a thought-provoking journey to examine the nature of how things came to be this way.

What is meant by “how things came to be this way” is the fact that the world is quickly running out of the necessary resources to provide for our extravagance. If we continue to push other life forms to the brink of extinction, while attempting to consume all the world has to offer within our lifetimes, then surely this whole amazing system will collapse. And this collapse could occur within the next generation or two.

One key element of the book is the harrowing reminder that we are not the only creatures on this planet. In modern man's endless quest to conquer and control, we have achieved bitter success to the detriment of all other forms of life. A truly stable environment is not only composed of humankind and whatever food we are able to produce. The Community of Life has been trying to teach us this for thousands of years.

While I definitely think it would behoove you to read this book for yourself, I will attempt to summarize what I think to be the most relevant and dire points. And the things I took away from the book on a personal level include: I have many favorite passages from the text, but one that stands out is this:

“You want a program? Then here is a program: The story of Genesis must be reversed. First, Cain must stop murdering Abel. This is essential if you're to survive. The Leavers are the endangered species most critical to the world -- not because they're humans but because they alone can show the destroyers of the world that there is no one right way to live. And then, of course, you must spit out the fruit of that forbidden tree. You must absolutely and forever relinquish the idea that you know who should live and who should die on this planet.”

Lastly, the book offers a web URL (www.ishmael.com) where you are encouraged to connect with other readers of the book. When I got there, one of the first things I noticed was “War on Iraq? NO!” and followed the link. This is a promotion for a book that was produced in about three days and it purports to have excellent arguments for not going to war with Iraq. I cannot support these claims without having read the book, however, one of the review links led me to (www.mobylives.com) where I was able to read perhaps the most interesting take on poetry that I have ever seen. Left-hand side of the page, under “From the Archives” and titled “WHY.” About mid-way down, you see:

“Perhaps people realized, even if it was difficult to understand, that poetry was a valuable and insightful way to consider issues -- a way that dealt with emotions and the murkier aspects of a story that defied categoric identification. After all, poetry doesn't necessarily lend itself to dead-on description -- it thrives on indirection, on searching for deeper and more widespread connections with a subject.”

And now I know why poetry has value.
---

beautiful mariah    09.12.02

“dreamlover come rescue me.”

welcome back to the fray. how are things on your end? i decided this page needed to be diva'ed up, so now we have this gorgeous shot of mariah in glitter. i wonder how many people actually saw that movie. i think i need to buy it on dvd sometime soon. it makes a wonderful pick-me-up film because it is so inspirational. adversity? setbacks? mariah conquers all!!

let that be a lesson for you all out there in la-la land.
see ya!

grave architechture    09.06.02

“there is no reason to be alarmed, dude.”

hey, hey, hey!! mucho apologies for my recent absence, folks. i didn't mean to drop off the face of the internet like that, but hey, i've been busy, yo. so what has been taking up all of my time, you ask? well, here is my best brief synopsis: the picture above comes from Kyle West's photography exhibit (you can get there if you click on the above image). i stumbled across his site while doing a google image search for 'grave architecture.' that was just the type of mood i was in today.

well, my weekend is beginning and this update is ending. i promise not to let so much time pass between updates, but you have to be good, too. you have to send me notes and pictures and secrets and whathaveyou. for a laugh, check out this resume. it is one of the funniest web documents i've found in a dogs age.

07.24.02

“do you realize that you have the most beautiful face?”

after a long weekend of brainwashing, i have concluded that the new flaming lips album “yoshimi battles the pink robots” is the greatest musical creation of all time. please do yourself a favor and go to www.flaminglips.com and listen to the entire album online for free!! there are a bunch of crazy pictures, a slideshow, a video, all kinds of stuff. then do the band a favor and go out and purchase a copy of the new record. i promise it will be worth it. there is even a secret message hidden in the packaging! you are getting sleepy...

the new sonic youth album is just as divine, but nowhere near as glorious. seems like thurston and co. are back to writing driving, writhing, multi-layered noise concoctions meant to rock you. this one is not nearly as experimental and laconic as their last offering. there are actually a few tracks you could dance to (if you wanted to lose your indie cred by dancing). for true fans, this will be a reward. for the rest of you, it will be a wonderful introduction to the regal shepherds of the nyc punk rock world.

i *really* should start a column on “stupid ass ways dave has injured himself.” then maybe i could garner some of the rotten/darwin award readers. so, the goal this weekend was to clean out the gutters on the house. well, i got up there with a ladder and everything seemed pretty cool. the roof angle is steep, but manageable. as i inched towards the roof edge towards the gutter, i could feel that nagging pull of gravity. no, i wasn't falling, i was merely being drawn closer to the ground with much certainty.

i had to lay prostrate to slow the motion - and i was wearing shorts - and roof shingles are not very smooth. so, i scratched up my knees and forearms pretty good, but thankfully didn't fall to my death. i quickly made it to the ladder and got down, but the bleeding and scabbing had only begun. ahhhh.... home ownership is but a dream.

07.20.02

goodness, with the questions already! okay, so here is a brief bio. it is by no means comprehensive. you have to subscribe to the pay service to get the full details, baby! i refer all other questions to the budonkadonk file.

i hope everyone is having a cool saturday.

07.18.02

it is once again time for me to host a party. the date is saturday july 27, 2002 and you are definitely invited. i have invited a shitload of people so far, so i imagine there will be quite an interesting mix of people there. come on over and have a beer with us!

today i spent hours navigating wal*mart (yes, it is an evil chain store) to obtain some of the essentials for the gathering. i still have a good bit of shopping to do; not to mention acquiring kegs and other drinkables. i will have to bust ass over the next week to get the house ready for visitors. right now there is laundry and cds everywhere...

speaking of cds, i was passing by cd alley on my cruise home from dinner and i remembered there were both a new sonic youth AND a new flaming lips cd in there waiting for me. so i went in and chatted with Dave (Keri's boyfriend) and picked up some new music. also got weezer's “maladroit”, the silver jews single “tennessee” and an old jungle brothers disc. it is gonna be a good weekend!!

hope you can make the party. the spot should be blowin' up, yo.

07.16.02

“rhyme-wise i do the figure eight, so concisely”

bad news on the Bartleby front. it was at the varsity theater on franklin street, but for less than five days. yup - when i went to catch a matinee this weekend, it was already gone. and not only from the varsity, but from all theaters in the triangle. i am so totally bummed. crispin and his whacked out projects just can't get a break.

the brew tour out in holly springs on saturday was a lot of fun. for the most part, saturday consisted of eating and drinking beer, like, for about twelve hours. it was great to get out and go to summer parties, eventho it has been hot as h-e-double-hockey-sticks. sunday was a day of recovery. i got to finally watch Waking Life sunday nite. i really like richard linklater and i certainly liked the animation that they did, but some of the junior philosopher stuff they were pushing was a little much. for the most part an interesting sitting.

this week didn't get off to the best start, but i'm hoping it gets better in time for the weekend. i'll try to let you know what's going on. drop me a line if the spirit moves you. extra points if you know where the headline quote comes from.

07.11.02

“i would prefer not to.”

i went to see Bartleby on monday nite with mark, molly and page. it was disturbing and surreal and so distinctively crispin. i can't wait to go see a matinee this weekend! david paymer was perfect as the impotent office manager who was so wholly unable to dispose of Bart. and the freakish joe piscopo literally came out of nowhere. he accurately portrayed a character named Rocky. the amazing cast includes the sultry, well-spoken glenne headly and the absolutely brilliant maury chaykin. he plays the best white-out sniffin' vietnam vet office worker that i've ever seen.

in other news, i have *finally* added my RecordBuyer column for your perusal. i plan on putting most of my music commentary there and will occasionally point you there. let me know what you think. and the archive(s) section is back. enjoy.

07.07.02

free lawnmowers. i might as well have said “free crack.” the calls started at 7 a.m. and have not stopped all day. i changed the outgoing message on my machine and gave up answering the phone. people will come out of the freakin' woodwork for some free lawnmowers, yo.

other good news on the horizon today:
there is a lot of new music out now and i don't have any of it. i must drag myself to the local record reseller very soon. what new tunes have you been getting into lately?

07.06.02

“so, what else is new?”

eyes looking thru you. experience beyond explanation. a transcendental moment only made better by the fact that you witnessed it live.

that is how i would describe the j. mascis show at the cradle tonite. purely amazing. a heartfelt re-working of his best material, mixed in liberally thruout the course of many years. he also played a few songs i didn't recognize; which could have been covers, new material, or just stuff i don't know. overall, it was one of the most enjoyable shows i've seen at the cradle in a while.

it was nice to sit there and listen to such familiar songs played by such a talented guy. it does not seem that the rock star thing has gone to j's head and his guitar playing is as tight as it ever was. he smoothly rocked between simple acoustic and gritty electronic effects - a few times his riffs were so wailing that you didn't miss the remainder of the instruments. or perhaps my mind was filling in the gaps.

either way, an excellent show all around. thanks to j for coming to carrboro. rock on.

07.04.02

happy fourth of july, yo!

so, here begins another page redesign. oh, it looks so carolina blue! (but it actually isn't).

and it looks like i've finally done it. yup. i've finally gone ahead and yahoo-ized this site. just cluttered up the whole thing. actually, i'm hoping to fit more information and links into less space. i also tried to make it organized, so let me know what you think. regardless, have a great holiday!! more news to come...

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