An Introduction to an Introspective Retrospection

I know how it feels to love someone  you've never known. It's a strange feeling indeed. Before leaving my dorm for the weekend, I concluded that it was missing something. What? I had no clue. I really couldn't put my finger on it.  My side of the room is much more simplistically put together than my roommate's cozily stuffed and photograph ridden side. I keep my side as neat and as organized as humanly possible contrary to my past room keeping ideals - which were basically non-existent like many teenagers of any day and age. A visit to grandma's was basically all I needed to figure out what I was missing, or rather what I had always had. With my grandma, aunt, and cousins moving to Nutley, the basement in the Jersey City house is basically a freebie vintage shop. Some finds were some pretty rad retro Huffy bikes, some kick ass and gorgeously tailored leather jackets (that since me being a girl and quite small, fit perfectly on my cousin - you can imagine my jealously. lol), and lo and behold my grandfather's army jacket from the 1940'2  WWII era. I am a total history buff. I'm one of those people who aren't fifty year old dudes with tuffs of white hair but watch the history channel and any specials on CNN or the national geographic. A very obscure past time for a young lady, I know, but back to the story. So you can imagine my ecstatic feeling when face to face with history, and not  just  any history but my history, my grandfather's history - his experiences. 

My grandfather died in the fall of 1990, a couple months after I was born. I miss him although I've never had a single conversation with him to know who he is, or rather was. My grandfather is a man made up soley on beautifully told secondhand accounts - his courageousness in the fall of Bataan as a medic for the United States Army, his easy-going persona as a fireman in his home country & at the firehouse by Romaine Ave., and his devotion to his family. These are all generalizations. I want to know how he felt during the war. I want to hear a detailed description of one of his most frightening and most rewarding moments during that time. I want to know who he was and not how others saw him despite all the wonderful things they have to say. Not all things are wonderful, but the most horrible, heartbreaking and gruesome can be the most beautiful and meaningful. I know that I can "want" all I want. I know I can imagine all I want. But I also know I can put pieces together - piece my present and  my family's present to  our past. I'm going to start with that army jacket that belonged to my grandfather in his youth (no, I was smart enough to know not to take it with me to school and plus it's my cousins since it  fits him to utter perfection - can you say all the honor without the glory?). After the weekend was over I headed back to RU with what I was missing: a reminder. (edit: I did have a photo of a photo of my grandfather up - but it didn't work out right. sorry)

KELCIE.

Big Deal You're Gorgeous.

While feeding my procrastination with some interweb browsing I came across an article in the NYTimes which went into detail about a new computer program that uses "mathematical formulas" (created at the Tel Aviv University) to transform an individual's facial features to make her/his face more aesthetically pleasing. Basically it "un-uglies" you. It's pretty cool when you think about it, but also a huge blow to the ego when your "beautified" face looks nothing like you. Although some people are in need of a reality check. Just kidding. The featured photo on the front page is that of a normal young woman on the right and her transformed picture on the left. The changes done to her picture are quite drastic. Her eyes are considerably smaller, as well as her nose....well basically every facial feature has been downsized. And I won't lie, the picture on the right is rather beautiful. But what exactly defines the beauty which they are seeking? Proportion? Smaller features? The scientists who created this program argue that their goal is not to think one face is more beautiful than the other. Then what the hell is the point? Again it is a fun and interesting idea, but the possible funds, time and effort into creating it could have gone to more important research. It's good to tinker around, but honestly what was the point? The only real result would be the shrug reaction in which people would just agree in the aesthetic beauty that the transformed picture has and nothing else. Way to push for individualistic acceptance huh? Although, I was amused while browsing through some of the photographs and how James Franco's transformed picture was "indistinguishable, suggesting his classically handsome face is already pretty perfect". Which is kind of true. lol. 

NYTimes: Skin Deep - The Sum of Your Facial Parts

KELCIE.

New Weird America?

Yesterday while youtube-ing in search of some new ear candy for the upcoming week I came across the reference of Devendra Banhart being labeled under the music genre of "New Weird America".  What is "New Weird America"? And since when was there ever a "Weird America" genre to begin with? To answer my questions of curiosity I turned to the ever trusty wikipedia (HA!). "New Weird America - psychedelic folk musical movement of the mid/late 2000s; influenced by 1960 -70's, ethnic music, and free jazz", and apparently the term was coined in the August 2003 issue of The Wire. So I guess there was never an "Old Weird America", but rather the perspective of 60's and 70's folk music as weird. Sure the music was kinda trippy and its placement into modern cookie cutter pop and hip hop would label it as obscure, but weird? Weird has a kind of negative connotation, does it not? I wonder why such a small amount of people have an ear for folksy music. I'd like to think mainstream music has hidden messages and shit to lure people into being hooked - it's probably true. Sure, I get hooked all the time. Por ejemplo: Just a minute ago some kid on my floor started blasting a super popular song and some girl all the way on the other side of the hall shouted "Yo play that song like ten billion times! Play it on repeat man!". Let's step away from the radio for a minute shall we and sway out to some New Weird America:

KELCIE.