THE FOUNTAINHEAD

I first started getting interested in Ayn Rand through the video game Bioshock, which was very much influenced by other books that I loved.  Among the list of influences that the makers drew up, was The Fountainhead, and it occurred to me that Fontaine, a main character in the videogame was a play off of the book's title.  

All that aside, I started reading the book, and I was interested almost right away, even though the story is pretty drawl in the beginning.  Howard Roark, the protagonist of the book, is made to be the perfect human being, the perfect man; this is not only in appearance, for he carries his built, redheaded, body with the utmost of confidence, but he is completely engrossed with his own ideals, and no one else's.  He is the sole drawer of his own type of architecture, and believes that no other "old" or classic style of architecture should be mixed with any other, and that every building material has its own use.  Howard Roark struggles to develop true emotion in the few buildings that are built, and through this, its full potential.  This character is what interested me most in the book; Howard Roark is an architect who never folds against his beliefs, even when it costs him bankruptcy, jail time, and his love. 

The book goes on to describe the struggles of Howard Roark and his ever standing thoughts and ideals.  I cannot even begin to describe the true greatness of this book, although I wish I could; Ayn Rand develops her own brand of philosophy, called OBJECTIVISM, which states that "reality exists independent from consciousness; that individual persons are in contact with this reality through sensory perception; and that the proper moral purpose of one's life is the pursuit of one's own happiness." I believe this to be overly depressing at a point, but I have to stress that even though it is pretty doleful, the story and language of THE FOUNTAINHEAD is incredible.

I have to add that, this being her first large novel, she focuses on Howard Roark's reactions and life, due to the public, while her second novel (her magnum opus), Atlas Shrugged is quite the opposite (although dealing with many of the same themes); Atlas Shrugged tells the story of the public and the change that happens though the world due to John Galt.  You do not meet Galt until the third part of this 1168 page book. 

SOME GREAT MUSICS VOLUME #19.

THE TALLEST MAN ON EARTH.

Folk folk folk folk flipping folk. I'm going to folk you in the butt. This dude rock and rolls so hard that you're going to get an aneurism. This is some of the greatest modern folk music i've ever heard. The guys name is Kristian Matsson direct from Darlana, Sweden, which is a complete mindfuck after you hear him because he seriously sounds like a heavy smoking american war veteran. His music has the honest, authentic beauty of a lot of the folk revival music of the 60s. I'm not going to say early Bob Dylan, but, early bob dylan. And the chords he uses are much like the pallet of Nick Drake, if you feel me. Go listen to it you nazi. 

DARLANA

keezur.

Food. Pt. 2.

Spring break a time for the beach some might say. Nay my friends. There can be other places. I spent my part of my spring break in the great city of New York. Where cultures collide, mix, and mash together in one big mess of bustling boroughs and tall buildings. 

Everyone who goes to the city has there special places that they enjoy going. The park, uptown, downtown, midtown, etc. But me, I like to spend my time in Little Italy and China town. Odd? Yes. But the FOOD. My god, the food is indescribable, well some of it.

I spent my three days in the city walking around the market places of these parts of town. Thats where you find the best of the best of foods, as something Andrew Zimmern. These foods are  not served to you in a restaurant, not served to you on a platter, but served to you by a the hands of the people who make the food or create or catch the food themselves.

Now i know i just said the best of the best foods are not found in restaurants, I was right. Jelly Fish anyone? Duck feet? Yes duck feet. Es Cargo? (i know its french but we stopped in a french restaurant.)They are very, very hard to describe. Jelly Fish is like when you first bite into a pickle and you get that crunching sound, that is what it is like to bite into jelly fish with EACH bite. Every bite is crunch, crunch, crunch. But you would never expect it, because its flimsy and wiggly. Not exactly the greatest thing on the planet. But if you are daring enough try it. Duck feet, BLECH! It showed up on a plate, and i took a look at it and saw D.U.C.K. Feet there. It looked like they just cut it off and put it on a plate. But they were slimy and smelly. They were real hard to cut and they tasted horrible. I actually have no idea how to describe them to you. But my mother says that they would taste better if they were fried, but they were disgusting and should never be consumed. Es Cargo is french for snail. It was actually a decent delectable delight. Though you can't, CAN NOT, think about what you are actually eating or else you wont be able to get it down. I suggest you try Es Cargo at some point in your life.

In Little Italy there is just an indescribable amount of AMAZING cheeses, breads, pasta, oils, chocolates, ANYTHING you can think of is just amazing. I went into this little italian deli and found an assortment of cheeses and meats. They had sausage links and salami galore. I, loving mozzarella, bought 2 huge like chunks? or balls? I don't know what to call them but they were the most delicious giant balls of cheese EVER! perfectly salted and everything. Mmhmm. Then we went to think other little deli thats been open since the late 1800's that had the most amazing italian bread and other deli meats. Nothing beats the taste of anything from those places.

I also stopped in this one, i guess it was a specialty food shop because they had jars upon jars of CRAZY delicates from China. Most of it was in chinese but there was one thing in a jar that I remember I could tell what it was. It was a shark fin that was being sold for $2,000 dollars. Incredible that anyone would even buy it.

You don't always have to go to the nicest places to get good food. Explore be daring, its safe to eat in little dirty shops along the street. You'd be surprised what you will find. And now I leave you with these parting words once again. Food. The Worlds Past Time. Eat Foods, try new things, put your stomach to the test.

SOME GREAT MUSICS VOLUME #18.

NO AGE.

This band is seriously rockalock. Hailing from smelly Los Angeles. The two piece is the illegitimate child of the DIY movement of years past. Its a fully realized merge of garage punk and noise and its fucking beautiful. BEAUTIFUL. GOD I FUCKING LOVE THEM. AH. It has so much energy its so great yak yak yak. 

THINGS I DID WHEN I WAS DEAD

keezur.

SHOW CITY VOLUME # 1.

HOT CHIP

Saw them last night at the Fillmore. There's never been a band to go so wikki wild live before ever. Its not even that they dance around a lot, because the don't. They have too many guitar bass and keyboard duties to attend to. But somehow, they get the whole crowd dancing so hard that you start to get a hemorrhage in your head. I don't know how it happens. Its wild, go see them as soon as possible. 

CHIPZ.

keezur.

SOME GREAT MUSICS VOLUME #17.

HUSKER DU.

"Most uplifting band of all time." I read that in a book somewhere. No I didn't, thats not true. Husker Du was a hardcore punk band from Minnesota throughout the 80s. The albums I have, Zen Arcade and New Day Rising will rock the shit out of you. Think like, the energy of Don't Stop Believin' but actually good songs. Thats Husker Du. Go listen and blow your fucking head off. 

DU. 

keezur.

SOME GREAT MUSICS VOLUME #16.

MAN MAN.

WILD WILD band. These guys are from Philidelphia and make stuff that is very reminiscent of Tom waits.  Not copying him. Just paying homage to him. Like, Tom Waits obsessed grindcore.  No, not like that. That doesn't even exist. They're just a great band that employs the use of action figures, dogs barking in bathtubs, and fireworks to achieve a sound that is very unique and very catchy at the same time. Not many musicians can pull that off. 

MAN MAN.

keezur.