ONE has to feel for the DMV rules of the road booklet- yes, the one which we have to read before ticking boxes on a sheet of paper and being honoured with a driving permit. There are books that people read for pleasure, for professional growth, or simply with urgency because they have to. But this one, I have seen people read only when they have nothing to do- absolutely nothing. When you don't have an impending deadline, don't have anything fun to do, or everyone else is busy with their own thing, that's when you read the DMV book. Sure, you can argue that people read the DMV book to pass the test when they really need a license, which would push it into the third category mentioned above. Even so, it tends to receive the least amount of dedicated mind power. I don't think that there any piece of literature that gets the sort of casual treatment that this does. We even begin with the assumption that we are going to pass the test, eventually at least. After all, they let you take the written test something like three times for ten bucks- utter disgrace.
The poor thing doesn't even have a price attached to it- you can download it for free. Just imagine the abuse- get it for free, give it lowest priority, and have no fear of treating it casually, for there is always next time. I don't have any quarrels with the present setup, but I pity the book, especially if it has feelings.
An amusing thought: will there be a day when people pre-order their rules of the road, rush into bookstores to get them, and perhaps try and be the first ones to finish?
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Nerds gone wild
THERE are some sights- like a lightning bolt, a hurricane, or a volcano that make us stop for a minute when we least expect to be stopped. We are completely dumbstruck, and all we can say is- "what on earth was that"??
One such sight is the stereotypical nerd having his or her share of the spotlight. Some random flashbacks of geeks losing control (wild dances at random places and unreasonable alcohol intake at inexplicable moments) have inspired me to write on this lazy Thursday afternoon.
The world must take note of this. There may be cool dudes with their I-don't-give-a-damn attitude, hotshots who steal the show, those who liven up any party or burn any dance floor- but the geek letting loose in a bar or club deserves its share of respect, because much like what we see on the discovery channel, these sights are rare, breathtaking and amusing.
There is one obvious explanation for the nature of nerd outbursts. Nerds rarely go on drinking sprees find their groove to a groovy track. But then when a combination of circumstances and curiosity give them a little taste of the wild side, they shed centuries of inhibition. What follows is their transition to a parallel universe, where it is just him\her and whatever gets him\her high- nothing else matters. This particular level of disregard for everything else while is seldom achieved by anybody. The late 80's paid tribute by integrating such characters into their movies- mostly high school geeks getting drunk or stoned, and dancing away. This was funny and often as a result the nerds grew cooler than the cooler gang.
Weird?Freaky?Funny? Whatever you may call it, I'm sure you would have witnessed such glorious acts at some point in your life.
And as a nerd having been there, done that, I dedicate to it a blog entry.
One such sight is the stereotypical nerd having his or her share of the spotlight. Some random flashbacks of geeks losing control (wild dances at random places and unreasonable alcohol intake at inexplicable moments) have inspired me to write on this lazy Thursday afternoon.
The world must take note of this. There may be cool dudes with their I-don't-give-a-damn attitude, hotshots who steal the show, those who liven up any party or burn any dance floor- but the geek letting loose in a bar or club deserves its share of respect, because much like what we see on the discovery channel, these sights are rare, breathtaking and amusing.
There is one obvious explanation for the nature of nerd outbursts. Nerds rarely go on drinking sprees find their groove to a groovy track. But then when a combination of circumstances and curiosity give them a little taste of the wild side, they shed centuries of inhibition. What follows is their transition to a parallel universe, where it is just him\her and whatever gets him\her high- nothing else matters. This particular level of disregard for everything else while is seldom achieved by anybody. The late 80's paid tribute by integrating such characters into their movies- mostly high school geeks getting drunk or stoned, and dancing away. This was funny and often as a result the nerds grew cooler than the cooler gang.
Weird?Freaky?Funny? Whatever you may call it, I'm sure you would have witnessed such glorious acts at some point in your life.
And as a nerd having been there, done that, I dedicate to it a blog entry.
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
The Perfect Coffee Shop
I don't know how it all started, I don't know how it grew on me- but the cafe/coffee shop has become an irremovable part of my life- coffee shops have a wonderful relaxing effect on my nerves. When I spend time in one, I am convinced that the world and it's people may not be perfect, but there is no real need to worry and it's possible to make something cool out of everything painfully uncool, given the right outlook. They also seem to elevate to me an extremely energetic state when it comes to making conversation or cranking up the creative engine in the head.
So here is a short list of some things I imagine an ideal coffee shop should contain (hopefully my faithful readers will contribute via comments)
To sit: The seating arrangements must have just the right density: not so spread out that it kills the vibe, and not so dense that I am tripping over stuff when I walk, or have someones elbow in my coffee when I am comfortably parked. For a bunch of us to sit down and talk about our lives, a huge, soft red sofa to crash on with a nice carpet underneath. Also, a convenient option to find the little two chairs and a table for the obvious purpose.
The View: Glass panes instead of walls as much as possible- if it's a big city, to soak in the vibrancy, and if it's college, to study the floating population.
Art: Modern art on the walls- very, very, crazy and modern. Walls are useful real estate to add jazz to the place, and vintage masters belong to museums, not coffee shops.
Temperature: Should be perfect again- I should be able to spend insane amounts of time in comfort without my shivering like it's Siberia or sweating like it's the Sahara. Very critical- needs to be just right again!
No: No, TV's- I have seen coffee shops with TV's and they ruin everything. Some of them insist on leaving them on in mute, and that makes no sense.
Wish list: I would really like to see a coffee shop with lava lamps. Many, many lava lamps in many, many colours; one that has seating outside on a vintage cobblestone/stone pavement (I suppose this is how European cafes would be?).
Coffee-shop: everything from the pillar of my social life to my nirvana-giving modern monastery.
So here is a short list of some things I imagine an ideal coffee shop should contain (hopefully my faithful readers will contribute via comments)
To sit: The seating arrangements must have just the right density: not so spread out that it kills the vibe, and not so dense that I am tripping over stuff when I walk, or have someones elbow in my coffee when I am comfortably parked. For a bunch of us to sit down and talk about our lives, a huge, soft red sofa to crash on with a nice carpet underneath. Also, a convenient option to find the little two chairs and a table for the obvious purpose.
The View: Glass panes instead of walls as much as possible- if it's a big city, to soak in the vibrancy, and if it's college, to study the floating population.
Art: Modern art on the walls- very, very, crazy and modern. Walls are useful real estate to add jazz to the place, and vintage masters belong to museums, not coffee shops.
Temperature: Should be perfect again- I should be able to spend insane amounts of time in comfort without my shivering like it's Siberia or sweating like it's the Sahara. Very critical- needs to be just right again!
No: No, TV's- I have seen coffee shops with TV's and they ruin everything. Some of them insist on leaving them on in mute, and that makes no sense.
Wish list: I would really like to see a coffee shop with lava lamps. Many, many lava lamps in many, many colours; one that has seating outside on a vintage cobblestone/stone pavement (I suppose this is how European cafes would be?).
Coffee-shop: everything from the pillar of my social life to my nirvana-giving modern monastery.
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