Resistance

I like books. I read a lot of them. Right now I’m in the middle of about 10 different books. Yes, I know, I have attention span issues. Right now I’m 40 pages from the end of “the Historian” by Elizabeth Kostova. It’s a cool book about vampires, Dracula, and history. Long fucker though…almost 700 pages. Sam made me buy it. We were at the local Barnes & Noble and he thought that I should buy it, just because he was. I acquiesced and am now almost finished with the book. It’s been a great read. Of course Sam hasn’t even started it yet. Jackass.

I’ve recently completed “The War of Art” by Steven Pressfield. Great book. It’s about giving yourself a kick in the ass to get things done. Well, to really work on the things that are important to you. We all have them I think. The desire to write a book/novel, start a business, start a creative enterprise, become a painter, become a musician, run a marathon, or simply to make your life about something bigger than getting up and going to a job every day.

The War of Art talks about what keeps us from doing those things that are important to us. Pressfield calls it Resistance. “Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance.” Pressfield goes on to say, “You know, Hitler wanted to be an artist. At eighteen he took his inheritance, seven hundred kronen, and moved to Vienna to live and study. He applied to the Academy of Fine Arts and later to the School of Architecture. Ever see one of his paintings? Neither have I. Resistance beat him. Call it overstatement but I’ll say it anyway: it was easier for Hitler to start World War II than it was for him to face a blank square of canvas.”

I, fortunately or unfortunately (I can’t figure out which), am prone to these lofty goals and ideas. It seems like every few months I come up with a new one. Write a funny book about law school, write a book of essays, write an essay, become a better musician, transcribe and do an arrangement of one of my mother’s songs, record a CD, start a record label, start a music camp with special programs for underprivileged kids, go to seminary, complete a ½ Ironman, climb some giant mountain, eat better, run daily...

How many of those goals have I completed? You guessed it – 0, none, zip. I’ve gotten a damned good start on some of them. I started a great essay about the intersection of humanity and technology. Did I ever finish it? No, in fact I lost the draft. I have half of my business plan drafted for my record label, potential artists, industry help, but… The list goes on. I start but can’t seem to complete these ideas, goals and dreams. I guess that when I encounter Resistance I don’t push myself through it, rather I find the next great idea that I want to be a part of.

So why write this? Maybe if I acknowledge that I am prone to falter when I encounter Resistance I can beat it. So – here is my line in the sand. I will pick a goal and finish it. The record label will go forward. It may not be a success, but I will give it my best effort. I will not succumb to Resistance again.

I will Never have a Myspace Page.

I do not like it with a mouse.

I do not like it here or there.

I do not like it anywhere.

I do not like myspace.

I do not like it, Sam-I-am.

There are many reasons why I don't, can't, won't have a Myspace page. Shall I list them?

First and foremost. I refuse to be that guy. No matter what anybody says, there are only two or three categories of people for whom it is acceptable to have a presence on myspace. First category is underage kids or "tweens" as the marketing folks call them. (Lets face it, the fact that I even know the word "tween" immediately disqualifies me from using Myspace, along with the fact that I just used the word "whom" correctly). Second category is musicians, bands, record labels etc. Third category is young adult singles who are likely trolling.

I do not fit in any of those categories.

Therefore, if I were to have a Myspace page, I would feel like some creepy old guy. The guy that never left home after he graduated from high school, is working at the local electronics store, and still taking high school girls to the prom five years after he graduated. I am definitely not that guy.

Third, Myspace is fugly. Every page is covered up in pictures and turquoise and pink geometric designs that make it impossible to navigate, read text or find any useful information. Also, the pages look like they haven't changed since 1995 and strangely resemble the site of the dude claiming to be the "real" Borat (http://www.ikissyou.org/ ). I don't want to be associated with such an ugly piece of crap page. (not that this page is great, but you get the point.) Myspace is the web equivalent of a 1973 AMC Gremlin.

Fourth, the favorite song auto-load function is a real ball-breaker. If I wanted to be force fed someone else's musical tastes, I'd turn on MTV (well, no I wouldn't they don't play music anymore but you get the point). Myspace pages are like those webpages that people had 10 years ago that had the unstoppable MIDI files that load and play immediately. If you visit myspace at work, some asinine song starts blaring out of your computer speakers. It is the wepage equivalent of getting that email that tells you to turn up your speakers and click on a file only to have it shout "I'M LOOKING AT GAY PORN!" In other words, NOT COOL.

FINALLY, when all my young neices, nephews and cousins (or worse, my friends' kids) add me as a Myspace friend and make me add them as a Myspace friend, I, as a 30 year old male, I have about a 1,000 percent chance of being investigated by "To Catch a Predator," which most would agree is the one exception to the rule that "all press is good press"

So there... I'll update this blog. If somebody wants to read it fine. If you aren't smart enough to type in this address instead of myspace.com/reallyfuckingoldguy, then I don't need you to read this page anyway.