Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency

In the wee hours of the morning, while laying in someone else's bed, I found Douglas Adams. Now I can't quite say that I enjoyed him or even began to understand him at first. If anything, I was bothered by his voice reading aloud A Long, Dark Tea-Time for the Soul in my ear while I was trying to simultaneously cuddle and sleep at 4 AM. The nerve of some people! However, it was after a little more talk on the part of the guy I was dating that sparked more interest in Mr. Adams' literature.

It was shortly thereafter that I began reading Hitchhiker's Guide the Galaxy for the first time and was SO enthralled that I had to put it down otherwise I never would have finished my last semester of college. However, when I got home for Christmas break, I made a quick trip to the library to borrow said book but learned that it was nowhere to be found... in the library that is. Instead, I grabbed what two Douglas Adams' books I could find and promptly checked those out. Today I finished the first of those two books. All I can say is Douglas Adams is AMAZING. He is so intelligent, witty and cynical (sarcastic to some, but that's debatable) that I just don't know quite what to do with myself. I've found a treasure! A veritable pot of gold. Who knew that all of this time that one of the greatest authors in the entire world was just under my nose? Tonight after completing Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, I was so enthralled that immediately I wanted to turn to page one and begin again. I won't, though, rather... I'm going on to read the sequel to it which first introduced me to Doug this summer. (We're on a first name basis now.) So, thank you to the literature Gods for making me date a loser if only to find Douglas Adams in my quest for true literary happiness.

Are You in Generation Y?

Have you ever put much thought into what Generation you are in? Because, truth be told, I haven't. Think about why we know so much about technology and are aching for faster and faster internet, cars, cell phones, digital cameras, even food! It's interesting to think about how/why we came to be this way and to also think about who is controlling the technology we enjoy on a daily basis.

Generation Y in the United States
Most have few memories of the Cold War (apart from perhaps action movies, toys, or video games with such themes) and came of age during the technology-driven changes in the years of President Bill Clinton. They were the first to grow up with the Internet in a developed, prolific form, including music downloads, instant messaging and cellular phones, which came to fruition at about 1997. The portmanteau "screenager" was coined in 1997 by Douglas Rushkoff in his book "Playing the Future" to describe this techno-savvy generation.

Other major social changes in recent times include immigration and developments in race relations. Characteristically, Generation Y members are generally very tolerant towards multiculturalism and internationalism. It is also not uncommon for post-1970s born children to grow up dating people outside their own race or ethnic group, as well as having a wide range in friends. This growing trend towards interracial relationships is sometimes a source of negative friction between youth and their parents or elders, who grew up in a society where interracial romance was once considered extremely taboo and even banned in a number of states until the late 1960s. The state of Alabama only officially disbanded its anti-miscegenation laws in the year 2000. As well, many people in this group are themselves multiracial in background, and this is also a considerable change from previous generations.

Opinions on Gay rights and gender roles have also been altered to some degree by this group. Generation Y is known for having among the most wide-ranging opinions on such issues as many members of this generation hold a grudge towards homosexuals while many others are openly accepting.

This generation was the subject of much concern during the 1990s, though, despite some of its positive features. The Columbine school shooting, along with similar crime, as well as youth participation in street gangs, hate groups, and behaviors such as teen pregnancy fueled a wave of action by schools and other organizations. These events however, save for the school shootings, were very present, if not even more common, before the 1990s but were simply not talked about as much.

The 2004 Presidential election was the first election in which Generation Y was able to vote in significant numbers. John Kerry received most of the votes. Notwithstanding, the ratio between young voters voting Democratic or for the incumbent George W. Bush remained relatively stable, suggesting that Gen Y may in fact be reflective of American society as a whole rather than a defined independent generation in itself.

Treo 700w

Okay, I was just checking my gmail and inadvertently found information on this $600 hybrid cell phone/palm pilot thing. Above is a link to the Treo 700w Specs. I just have to say that I think this thing is OBSCENE and I would not like to have one as a cell phone. Yes, I think technology is great, but to pay over $600 for a cell phone that is so large to carrry around and hold to your ear AND one which I'm most likely to drop, lose, or better yet... get stolen, I'd rather just not have it. Why do we need so much technology on our cell phones? Are we SO antsy to check our email while we're out and about during the day that we absolutely MUST have the internet on our cell phones? I just think it's a little ridiculous, but that's just me. Tell me what you think of it.

Under the Milky Way

After almost simultaneoulsy turning twenty-four and then graduating college, I've been thinking a lot about being "grown up" and what that means. Life sure is funny how it all works out, isn't it? I swear, I feel almost as if I'm stuck in time being ten years old finding out that I was an orphan. How can I already be twenty-four? Time sure is fickle. When you're a child, you can't wait to grow up. And when you're older, you want to go back to childhood when "life was simple." Why can't we just be happy where we're at?

Today my brother was reminding me of the way I was when I was a child. Hearing these things made me reminisce about my childhood and my anticipation of the future. I always thought my life would be different. I always thought that I would be famous somehow or have this HUGE impact on the world through the Peace Corps and therefore win the Nobel Peace Prize or something. I had these high aspirations for myself. Why did I ever lose those? Since when is it not okay to dream? Sure, I graduated college with a 3.9 gpa and that's fine and dandy. But, in reality that means nothing compared to the life experiences I'm half afraid to have. I want SO badly to go out and do something with my life, but I'm scared of what that entails. I'm scared of what I would be leaving behind. I guess graduating college isn't as good as it's cracked up to be. Having a degree means nothing without those childhood dreams to take you places. I need to figure out what dreams I would like to accomplish and then go for it! There's no time to be lazy or unmotivated or anything like that. If I want to do something, there isn't time to waste. I have to start now as best I can. It's like Zach Braff said on "Garden State": This is my life, Dad. This is it. I spent 26 years waiting for something else to start. So no, I don't think it's too much to take on because it's everything there is. I see now it's all there is.

Moving Out and Moving On...

People ask me "when do you graduate?" and at this point I can say "In five days." And then they get jealous because I'm graduating and they're just starting. School does suck sometimes, but what these people don't realize is the fun is just beginning! I wish I had more time here. I stare out my window soaking up the scene before me for one of the last times. I've been living in this apartment for a year and I've been up at this school forever before that. I've been SO excited to graduate that I haven't fully realized that I'm not ready to leave. I guess when are we ever completely ready to leave a place we've come to love and hate simultaneously and with such a passion? I've experienced SO many things at this college. Coming up here helped me to shape who I am today, however cheesy that sounds. Honestly, though... I found myself in this town. Almost all of my very best friends in the world were people I met up here. So many memories, so many people, experiences, kisses, laughs, cries, BOYS, trips to St. Anthony, Craigo's, Walmart, and Winger's that will NEVER be the same again. I will miss you, dear Rexburg. I will. For better or worse, I will miss it. But I know that we all have to move on sometime. And now apparently is my time to move on. I'm grateful for my time here and the AMAZING memories and friends, but hopefully I'm not too blind to see that I can be able to make new memories and new, fun friends elsewhere. THE WORLD IS MY OYSTER! Who knows what lies in store for me... Goodbye Rexie! I'll miss you and your 17,359 inhabitants.

Popping the Pop Culture Bubble

Okay... so I've been thinking about what I wrote for this blog since last night. And I guess what all this relates to is pop culture. Depending on whether or not you're knowledgeable on films, certain styles of music, television programs, and even cool websites/blogs... makes you more appealing to the "cool" populace. I've noticed that if I haven't heard of a certain musician, but have heard it referenced by several of my friends, then I am apt to listen to it and gain my own opinion of it so I can participate in conversations. I also notice the same things about films and BBC television shows and web pages and online zines... I mean the list could go on forever! Am I so driven to be a part of the crowd with which I associate that I am willing to get to know their topics of conversation better? Are you? Just some food for thought.

The Phenomenon that is Movies

I've been thinking about movies lately because I have taken time to observe how much films are a part of our pop culture. Think about how many times a day someone references a movie, quotes a movie, or asks you if you have seen a particular film. Oftentimes, when we first meet someone, we ask that person what his or her favorite film is just to gauge whether or not he/she is our "kind of cool." If one is not in the know when it comes to certain movies, then that person is bound to feel sheepish for not having seen a particular film.

Movies seem to be an irreplaceable phenomenon in our culture. Also, they take up so much of our time as an "activity" of choice! What did we do before movies? What were conversations like before movies came into being? Did people go around quoting satirical plays and laughing about it? Were they prone to actually speak their own ideas and thoughts rather than regurgitating something they saw in a film? I'm just curious to know what that time was like and if movies have improved our conversation/activities. What do you think?

(***DISCLAIMER: Now, don't get me wrong... I love quality films! I believe that films have revolutionized the world and the way we see things. There are films have helped people to become a part of a reality they wouldn't otherwise have known. Some films help people to understand ideas/concepts/historical events in a way that books just can't quite portray. I guess through this blog I'm merely posing a few questions to be considered: do we put too much stock in movies? Do we allow movies to hinder us from coming with our own witty banter rather than resorting to quoting someone else's? What are the activities we give up in order to watch films? Do movies as an activity keep us from important conversations we could potentially be having with other people? These are just some of the many questions to think about in reference to films.)