:: Life on Planet Dan-E ::

:: Everyone ok Out There? ::

I was going to blog about Miami's festive reaction to the Florida Marlins winning the World Series (as if this city needs another reason to party) but right now I'm just worried about everyone back home. I know the South Bay is safe but is everyone else ok out there?

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 6:27 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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:: A Magnificent World Series ::

As a transplanted Florida Marlins fan (though in my heart I'll always be a Dodgers fan), I've been totally enjoying the MLB Playoffs. It's been a blast watching this World Series so far and I'm expecting more close, riveting matches for games 5, 6, and 7. So nothing could possibly mar this experience, right? Lo and behold, who do they get to open tonight's game? Yanni (?!?!?!). Good gawd. I mean, Gloria Estefan was a predictable, cliched, though not a horrible choice to open the series here (as if she's Mrs. Miami or something) but... Yanni...

Tonight's game better be good.

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 8:15 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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:: Kill Bill Kills ::

By the way, I just saw Quentin Tarantino's latest "Kill Bill." If you haven't seen it, it's about as violent as you've probably heard. There's a lot of dismemberment, flying limbs and projectile blood loss but it's delivered in such a cartoonish manner that it's rather difficult to be shocked or grossed out by it. It's a rather spectacular mess of a film, but it's a type of mess that only a truly gifted filmmaker can make. A discerning viewer might notice flaw after flaw but the images flying across the screen is just so engrossing that you can't but help be entertained.

One last thing: whatever drugs Quentin Tarantino is doing, I want some of that.

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 4:46 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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A few of my new friends have asked me if I got my sense of humor from my parents. I tell them yes, which is why my parents are no longer funny.

Going back to what I blogged about in my last post: Before leaving, I'd be the first one to admit that it'd be a huge adjustment to move out here for no other reason than that I've never lived on my own. Living at home for the first 28 years of life (pathetic, I know) allows for quite a bit of complacency (read: laziness) in one's lifestyle. So the fact that the entire transition - moving across the country to a place I've never been to, living on my own for the first time (not even any roomies), maintaining my own apartment, etc etc - has been so amazingly stress-free has been something of a surprise.

I asked a few friends about their experiences moving about the first time for college and most of them, even if merely moving to a new area code, said it was a huge change. So I'm guessing that the reasons for my relative ease is mainly due to my rather advanced age (notice I'm not using the word "maturity"). It's not a conclusion reached scientifically but it seems that even some of my early 20s classmates seem to require a longer adjustment period. I think it helps that I have a history of acclimating easily to new environments.

Have I mentioned what my place is like? I'm right smack dab in the middle of the art deco area and I live in the first floor of a yellow two-story apartment. It's about 600 square feet, has a decently sized kitchen, a ceiling fan, located around the corner from school, and clean. The only two complaints I would have about my studio? One: there is no carpeting anywhere and I had to sleep on the damn linolium floor the first nine days. Two: this is an art deco building erected in the 60's, back in the days when architects did lots of hard drugs and mistakenly thought that bright colors was the formula for good interior decoration. The unfortunate result of their altered state is that I'm stuck with a pink and lime green bathroom. Even the f***ing toilet is pink! Oh, about that toilet (hehe). This is a public restroom toilet. Seriously. There's NO RESERVIOR. Which means an extremely powerful flush and the occasional feeling that I'm in a movie theater or something. Especially nice is a high unlikeliness that this thing will ever get clogged. That's a good thing considering the large quantity of food I still eat and the commensurately large dumps I take. That's ok though. I enjoy a challange.

I'm sorry. Too much information? :D

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 2:06 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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:: Back to School ::

I have to remind myself every now and then that the reason I've flown to the other side of the country is that I'm attending art school. You probably wouldn't know it from reading my blog since it's received only cursory mention so far. My first few weeks of school have been interesting in that this school is quite unique, even when compared to other art schools. For one, the President of the school is a real dog lover and dogs are allowed to freely roam the building (the place is too small to be referred to as a "campus"). Students are also allowed to bring pets with them as long as they don't take dumps inside the building (meaning the dogs). For another, I don't think any other school starts the year this disorganized. Our quarter apparently set a record for new students with a huge number of 48 and it seems that they've just now settled everything down, what with many students being confused about their schedules as recently as last Monday. And that's another thing. The question isn't what year you are, it's what quarter you are.

It's a tiny school. I always thought Art Center in Pasadena was a small but Miami Ad School makes Art Center look like Harvard (though we're no less prestigious =P). Ad School has satellite campuses all around the world and the total student population at all locations total roughly two hundred. The main "campus," where I am, is the largest with about 90 students.

Classes have been intersting so far. It's certainly been more compelling than similar courses at my old community college and the atmosphere is ripe for creative minds. I haven't had to do much studying yet but I've been loaded with homework and projects. It's the kind of stuff that I just might be doing out in the real world one of these days so doing this stuff has been relatively gratifying. The people who I've been hanging out with are also people I've had to partner up with for a couple of assignments and so far I've worked with good people. There's already word going around about who's good and who you don't want to work with, which has been kinda amusing.

I know I needed this change of pace but I didn't think I'd adjust this well this soon. While it may be too soon to use the word "thriving," I certainly feel like this move has been an enormous step forward. It's not to say that I'm in a seaside Utopia since I do have my share of problems to deal with every day. From a distance, it may not even seem like that my life has necessarily improved. Yes, the location is great but I had to make a lot of sacrifices to make this happen so it would seem that all I did was trade in my old set of problems for some new ones. But you know what? From my perspective, these new problems are the types I'd much rather endure. And the kind of person that I am, as self-masochistic as it may sound, it's extremely difficult for me to imagine a life without problems. It would just be too dull.

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 5:53 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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It's rather unfortunate that the concept of being a "metrosexual" has become so prevalent in today's pop culture. Otherwise sane straight guys have actually been buying into this feminization of the male image. It's difficult to pinpoint the cause since you can't just blame things like "Will & Grace," "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" or for that matter, "Sex and the City".

I noticed this trend slowly gathering steam years ago while suddenly being inundated with ads for male plastic surgery in the Sports section of the paper. I've seen ads for "rejuvenating" moisturizers and other beauty products geared specifically for men. Really? Guys need pectoral/butt/calf implants? Or Botox? Are we really that bothered by dry skin? And, outside of actors and male models (who are already gay), who actually gets these? Does the world really need guys who spend more time in the bathroom primping themselves in the morning than women? Do women really want a guy like that?

Apparently, a writer named Mark Simpson from England (it figures) coined this term back in the mid 90s. He writes: "The typical metrosexual is a young man with money to spend, living in or within easy reach of a metropolis -- because that's where all the best shops, clubs, gyms and hairdressers are. He might be gay, straight or bisexual, but this is utterly immaterial because he has clearly taken himself as his own love object and pleasure as his sexual preference."

So one might conclude that this trend isn't really new. It's just that way back when, metrosexuals were referred to as that "vain, self-centered douche."

Who am I to denigrate such a subculture? A little about me: I'm a guy who makes a living in the arts, I freely admit to owning Sarah McLachlan CDs, I know exactly how Maverick felt when Goose died. BUT, I follow football and baseball almost religiously. My grooming can be best described as "scruffy." I've never used a loofah. I can't even describe what that even is. I like that I can wake up at 8:45 and make it to a 9:00 class on time. I'm not proud or ashamed of any of these things, it's just how I am.

What guys need is a shot of testosterone. Not botox.

Don't misunderstand. There isn't anything necessarily wrong with a guy who likes to take care of himself but there are - or should be - limits to what is required of a man. Granted, if a guy has a monobrow that looks like a bumper from a '74 Austin Healey, he should tweeze that to achieve some sort of separation. If a guy's body odor is similar to the underside of a manhole cover, a good bathing, and perhaps a disinfecting, is in order. And even men think that bushy backhair is gross. But if a guy gets indignant over a $34 bottle of bodywash called Fruit-a-vis-a-Fla-la-la because it doesn't contain exfoliants, his priorities are a little skewed. Don't ask if your new designer jeans look "fabulous." And just so we're clear, we don't care that your $20 bottle of lotion smells of jasmine. In fact, don't ever utter the word "jasmine" unless you're referring to your girlfriend or a really hot stripper. Seriously, a $1.50 bar of Zest is just as effective.

I'll also point out that some degree of sensitivity isn't a bad thing either. I think every guy at some point in his life should serenade the women he loves, regardless of singing ability. Or volunteer a few weekends dishing out food at a homeless shelter. You can even admit to your girlfriend that you shed a few tears at the end of "Old Yeller" or that you have an inexorable love for Sarah McLachlan's music. But if you started bawling during "Ann of Green Gables" don't ever admit that in public. Or that you got all flustereed because Bloomingdales ran out of your favorite lotion.

The metrosexual male is analogous to a female bodybuilder, and I'm not referring to fit, athletic women. Athletes like Gabrielle Reese, Mia Hamm, Steffi Graf, and Jennie Finch are impressive displays of power and grace. But when a woman takes working out and building muscle mass to an extreme it's not pretty. She ends up looking masculine. And creepy. (On a personal note, It's just wrong when a woman has bigger thighs than I do.) Likewise, when a man embraces the metrosexual lifestyle, they just come off as girly and again, it's not pretty. Well... actually it might be quite pretty but to a demographic they're not shooting for.

It's not just guys that think this way. I know women who know guys like this and they're always saying that he's just a couple of steps from having a coming-out party. I don't think it's going out on a limb to say that a good number of women enjoy making over their boyfriends: picking out his clothes, grooming him, etc. And most of them, even the "modern women" who are, independent, financially secure, and possess a rich personal life admit that they still want the man to be the man in the relationship. (I once dated girl like this, though she was rather domineering. She liked to walk on the ground I worship.)

I'm not calling for a return to the "me Tarzan, you my bitch" type machismo. Simply, guys should embrace their masculine grit and verve. We're supposed to be a big, hairy, and maybe a little pungent. We shouldn't have to apologize for loving sports and beer, working on our cars, bonding by farting, and believing that baseball caps can be an essential part of a wardrobe ("wardrobe," not "couture"). Guys, should just be guys. Nothing more, nothing less.

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 1:56 PM [+] :: |
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:: Nice Place, Good People ::

As much as I like the locale, exploring South Beach wouldn?t be nearly as much fun unless you can share the experience with others and most of the other students in my class that I've met seem to be good people. In this case, ?good? meaning ?fun to hang with? which at this point of my stay, is really all I can ask for. I can?t say for sure which of these people, if any, are the types that?ll still be friends five or ten years down the line but then I said the same thing about a lot of poeple from NewSong and that was about four years ago and many of them are people I would hope to still know another four-plus years from now.

One of the great things about living in South Florida is the ethnic and cultural diversity. I?ve met people from Brazil, Chicago, North Carolina, Boston, Texas, and even a few from L.A. Funny thing about this other fellow Angelinos; there are four students from there including me. The other three are all attractive, blonde, and female. And then there?s scruffy ?ol me, who?s neither attractive, blonde, nor female. Now, while my personality may be better represented by faux blonde hair, at least visually it makes for an amusing contrast. It does to me anyway, and apparently only me. Fortunately, I?ve made enough of an impression on everyone that I think they consider me just another white guy from the west coast.

Anyway, go Marlins!!!

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 1:58 PM [+] :: |
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:: I Love this Town ::

I really like it here. There's quite a few students who rent out places at a luxury hi-rise apartment complex a couple of blocks from school and we meet there for a BBQ every Sunday night after our weekly school soccer game at Flamingo park. It's a great place to live, with views of the city and ocean on one side and views of the bay and downtown Miami on the other.

During a lull in the action, after everyone ate and was lounging around talking about miscellaneous stuff, I went for a quick dip in the pool to do a few laps. I tend to prefer swimming alone because as much weight as I might have lost, I'm still not at the point where I should subject anyone to seeing me shirtless. Anyway, I was wading in the middle of the pool, enjoying the warm water, the comfortable 84 degree weather, and taking in the spectacular skyline view of Miami across the bay and I couldn't help but think:

"There is nowhere else in the world I would rather be than right here."

Have I mentioned how much I really like it here?

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 6:41 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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:: Other Ideas ::

It's kinda cool that the entire school building has wireless network ability so that students can access the Internet anywhere on campus. I'm doing this on my laptop in the lounge at the moment. I just got out of my last class for the week (early) and I'm about to go home and change and meet up with some friends tonight to head over to the local pub and watch tonight's Red Sox/Oakland game. I already have a favorite watering hole here: This place called the Irish House. It's almost a dive bar; dark, wood paneled interior, good music, great beer, and some pretty good food. And the best thing? They have ESPN!

A few people in the group actually want to leave early and go to clubbing at this place called Luna. Or something like that. I'm vascillating since I'm kinda clubbed out and the game could actually be a good one. Seriously, doesn't anyone in this town just go to the movies? And on a weekend?

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 8:31 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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