All By Myself.

I'm at my brother's place in Jersey City this weekend. He's got a penthouse in this condo complex called Mandalay. I'm posting a couple of pics I found of the net, I'll post the pics I took later when I find the cable to transfer them from my digicam.


It's got a beautiful view, overlooking the Hudson river and the NYC skyline. I ended up not going to the All Points West music fest 'cause of complications. I had a few things to get off my head today, so lets get on with it.

What's the point of life?

Survival. There is no intrinsic "point" or "goal" or "meaning" of life. Rather, it is up to us to define our own meaning. Thus, the question doesn't have a definitive answer and depends who you ask.

What is art?

Art is a person's viewpoint. Humans have an amazing, unique emotion known as empathy. This allows us to put ourselves in someone else's shoes, giving us an impression of their state of mind. Art allows one to step into someone else's shoes and see the world from their perspective. Whether it be auditory, visual, kinesthetic, art allows an "artist" to provide their viewpoint to the public. Art is what makes humans different from animals.

How do you get a job in New York City with a low GPA and no contacts?

I am trying several strategies and will have a definitive answer in the form of a short book, hopefully by the end of the year. There are many ways to accomplish this formidable task, one of them is to befriend a trust fund brat you meet at a bar with a lot of connections.

Why are people so pretentious and why do they take things so seriously?

People, especially those who are financially successful, tend to create a barrier to justify their pointless existence. This barrier allows them to believe, in a collective delusion, that what they do is important, they are better than others, and they have taken the right path. This delusion is perpetuated by surrounding themselves in an environment filled with people identical to them. Yes, all these six-figure folks from all the name-brand business schools really genuinely believe they are smarter and better than those that aren't. These people can be modeled as a random variable; they are all the same (mean = six figure salary, expensive material taste, strong urge to satisfy their boss) with a some variance (standard deviation = law firm or investment bank or consultant, BMW or Mercedes or Audi). Their perspective is that what they do is important, they are smarter than the "rest" of the world, and that they are justified for wasting majority of their lives tweaking 30 page excel files. They get off on buying expensive clothes, furniture, and have sacrificed their soul for material pleasure.

However, this is simply their perspective and a version of reality they put on like their suit every morning. What's that, you don't believe me? Well, imagine if there was a giant earthquake in NYC and everyone was fucked. What happens then? Every man, woman, child, living creature for themselves; we are back to our primal survival instincts and all these out of shape losers will most likely perish while all the blue collar workers will find a way to survive because they are physically superior. When the shit really hits the fan, it doesn't matter if you have $300 italian loafers and wear Ferragamo tie, you are just another sack of meat with an opposable thumb. (Yes, I have read the novel Deliverance, and if you haven't maybe you should)

What is my point? My point is that anyone who thinks they are better than others because of what they can buy, where they went to school, their job title, or the kind of car they drive are fascist, ignorant, dumb pieces of shit. We are all playing a role in this life. Some of us are given opportunities that others aren't and there is nothing wrong with capitalizing on them. However, there is something wrong with becoming a pretentious, "too cool for school", piece of shit.

That being said, I have been given opportunities and I will capitalize on them. Also, not all the professionals mentioned above fit the stereotype I have described. I have personally met many who are amazingly smart and down to earth at the same time. I have the utmost respect for these people and they inspire me to do great things. Life is what you make of it. We are all playing characters in this crazy twisted world; it is of no significance which character we play, only the passion and creativity we put into the role.