mafiadrink

Just breathe.

2005-09-19T00:32:00.000-07:00

And there's so much at stake,
I can't afford to waste.
I never needed anybody like this before...
-- Garbage, "Temptation Waits"

Il faut souffrir pour etre belle.

2005-09-09T21:09:00.000-07:00

Don't stop shaking it's my head
That makes me want to second guess at a distance.
Hoping there's a method to your madness, baby,
I might just understand if you obey me.
-- Elastica, "Hold Me Now"

You can turn all my badness into goodness.

2005-09-03T03:15:00.000-07:00

Help, I have done it again
I have been here many times before
Hurt myself again today
And, the worst part is there's no-one else to blame

Be my friend
Hold me, wrap me up
Unfold me
I am small
I'm needy
Warm me up
And breathe me

Ouch I have lost myself again
Lost myself and I am nowhere to be found,
Yeah I think that I might break
I've lost myself again and I feel unsafe

Be my friend
Hold me, wrap me up
Unfold me
I am small
I'm needy
Warm me up
And breathe me

Be my friend
Hold me, wrap me up
Unfold me
I am small
I'm needy
Warm me up
And breathe me

-- Sia, "Breathe Me"

Finished my Tanqueray Ten and thirteen others...

2005-08-29T22:10:00.000-07:00

A human being is part of a whole, called by us the Universe... he experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest -- a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us... Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.
-- Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

Magic happens.

2005-08-27T02:27:00.000-07:00

The secret is not praise. It's just being accepted
at something like the figure where you put your worth
anywhere on the bloody earth,
especially abroad. We must keep our spirits up
_anyhow_. Of course, praise is nice too,
particularly when it comes to a stop.

When it comes to a stop, so one can think 'Yes, that happened.'
It's not so good while going on: an element of incredulity
enters & dominates.
The shadows of the grey ash on my page,
I can't get out of this either to youth or age,
I'm stuck with middle.

_Such_ hard work demands such international thanks
besides better relations with one's various banks,
slightly better.
So many have forgotten me, I forget some
and there will never come a congregation
to see needing Henry home.

-- John Berryman, "Dream Song 340"

Take a chance 'cause you might grow.

2005-08-23T01:21:00.000-07:00

Drive back baby to me, fast in your car;
I'm here waiting, crash into me real hard!
-- Gwen Stefani, "Crash"

You know you're only known 'cause of your sex chromosome;
I know it's so messed up how our society all thinks!
Life is short, you're capable!!
Oh... what you waiting for!?
-- Gwen Stefani, "What You Waiting For?"

The poi of jouissance.

2005-08-22T04:20:00.000-07:00

You better lose yourself in the music, the moment,
You own it, you better never let it go...
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow,
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime yo...
-- Eminem, "Lose Yourself"

The joy of puissance.

2005-08-21T05:15:00.000-07:00

My baby gave me notice to quit,
I just can't get used to it.
-- Elvis Costello, "Lovable"

I can't forget but I don't remember what.

2005-08-20T04:19:00.000-07:00

What part of our history's reinvented and under rug swept?
What part of your memory is selective and tends to forget?
What with this distance it seems so obvious?
-- Alanis Morisette, "Hands Clean"

It must be the thrill of shipping.

2005-08-19T02:32:00.000-07:00

...I'd get me four Harajuku girls to (uh huh)
Inspire me and they'd come to my rescue...
I'd dress them wicked, I'd give them names (yeah):
Love, Angel, Music, Baby,
Hurry up and come and save me...

All the riches baby, won't mean anything...

-- Gwen Stefani, "Rich Girl"

Identity is destiny.

2005-08-05T23:59:00.000-07:00

From the Amazon page for Milan Kundera's Identity:

The central question of Identity: what we think we know about our intimates is predicated on projection, primal yearnings, and the deep denial of life's impermanence.

In some ways, that is unbearably light.

He flung himself on his horse and rode madly off in all directions.

2005-08-01T04:20:00.000-07:00

Am I loud and clear or am I breaking up?
Am I still your charm or am I just bad luck?
Are we getting closer or are we just getting more lost?
I'll show you mine if you show me yours first
Let's compare scars I'll tell you whose is worse
Let's unwrite these pages and replace them with our own words
We live on front porches and swing life away
We get by just fine here on minimum wage
If love is a labor I'll slave 'til the end
I won't cross these streets until you hold my hand
I've been here so long I think that its time to move
The winter's so cold summer's over too soon
Let's pack our bags and settle down where palm trees grow
And I've got some friends some that I hardly know
We've had some times I wouldn't trade for the world
We chase these days down with talks of the places that we will go
     -- Rise Against, "Swing Life Away"

Keep away from people who belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.
     -- Mark Twain

She's cold and she's cruel
But she knows what she's doin'
Knows just what to say
So my whole day is ruined...
Cause she's bittersweet
She knocks me off of my feet
And I can't help myself...
She's a mystery
She's too much for me
But I keep comin' back for more...
     -- Click Five, "Just the Girl"

Don't just stand there, bust a move!

2005-07-31T03:53:00.000-07:00

JP once said to me, "I try to understand everything in life as if it were a Young MC song."

To which I replied, "Did Young MC have more than one song?"

To which JP responded, "Not really, but it was a whole universe inside that song!"

So on that note, I give you the universe of Young MC, "Bust a Move":

Bust it...

This here's a jam for all the fellas,
Try to do what those ladies tell us.
Get shot down cuz you're over zealous.
Play hard to get, females get jealous.

Ok, smarty, go to a party.
Girls are scantilly clad and showin' body,
A chick walks by, ya wish ya could sex her,
But she's in another world like you was Poindexter.
Next day's function, high class luncheon.
Food is served, and you're stone cold munchin'.
Music comes on, people start to dance,
but then you ate so much you nearly split your pants.
A girl starts walkin', guys start gawkin',
sits down next to you and starts talkin'.
Says she wanna dance cuz she likes to groove,
so come on, fatso, and just bust a move.

You're on a mission,
and you're wishin'
someone could cure your lonely condition.
Lookin' for love in all the wrong places.
No fine girls, just ugly faces.
From frustration, first inclination,
is to become a monk and leave the situation.
But every dark tunnel has a light of hope,
so don't hang yourself with a celibate rope.
New movie's showin', so you're goin',
could care less about the five you're blowin'.
Theater gets dark just to start the show,
then you spot a fine woman sittin' in your row.
She's dressed in yellow, she says hello,
come sit next to me ya fine fellow.
You run over there without a second to lose,
and what comes next, hey, bust a move.

In the city, ladies look pretty,
guys tell jokes so they can seem witty.
Tell a funny joke just to get some play,
then you try to make a move and she says no way.
Girls are fakin', goodness sakin',
they want a man who brings home the bacon.
Got no money and got no car,
then you got no woman and there you are.
Some girls are sophistic, materialistic,
lookin' for a man makes them opportunistic.
They're lyin' on the beach,
perpetratin' a tan so that a
brother with the money can be their man.
So, on the beach start strollin', real high rollin',
everything you have is yours and not stolen.
A girl runs up with something to prove,
so don't just stand there, bust a move.

Just bust a move.
Break it down for me fellas...

Your best friend, Harry, has a brother Larry,
in five days from now he's gonna marry.
He's hopin' you can make it there, if you can,
cuz in the ceremony you'll be the best man.
You say neato, check your libido,
and roll to the church in your new tuxedo.
The bride walks down, just to start the wedding...
and there's one more girl you won't be getting.
So you start thinkin', then ya start blinkin',
a bride maid looks and thinks that you're winkin'.
She thinks you're kinda cute so she winks back,
and now you're feeling really fine cuz the girl is stacked.
Perception's jumpin', bass is pumpin',
look at the girl and your heart starts thumpin'.
Says she wanna dance to a different groove,
Now you know what to do, G, bust a move.

Just bust a move.
Move it boy.

Pain is just weakness leaving the body.

2005-07-29T02:32:00.000-07:00

Watching the days slip by so fast
Knowing our fate has long been cast
Working our fingers to the bone
Cause nobody loves you when you’re gone
-- Garbage, "Nobody Loves You"

Scourged, gruntled, and racinated.

2005-07-28T01:15:00.000-07:00

Self-doubt is good. Makes you stronger.
-- a scribbling on a post-it from a few weeks ago that I just re-discovered

Looking forward to looking back.

2005-07-27T01:21:00.000-07:00

Don't let the days go by
Could have been easier on you
I couldn't change though I wanted to
Should have been easier by three
Our old friend fear and you and me
-- Bush, "Glycerine"

You thought you were so smart
Don't try to stop me when
You told me to start
-- Elvis Costello, "Inch by Inch"

A little frisson is no doddle.

2005-07-24T23:46:00.000-07:00

The person without a purpose, or a pattern, is the true mystery, no matter how much he talks.
-- JP quoting Thomas Boswell, the baseball writer

A simple mistake starts the hardest time.

2005-07-21T04:19:00.000-07:00

This could be the very minute
I'm aware I'm alive
All these places feel like home

With a name I'd never chosen
I can make my first steps
As a child of 25

This is the straw, final straw in the
Roof of my mouth as I lie to you
Just because I'm sorry doesn't mean
I didn't enjoy it at the time

You're the only thing that I love
It scares me more every day
On my knees I think clearer

Goodness knows I saw it coming
Or at least I'll claim I did
But in truth I'm lost for words

What have I done it's too late for that
What have I become truth is nothing yet
A simple mistake starts the hardest time
I promise I'll do anything you ask... this time

-- Snow Patrol, "Chocolate"

The struggle against evil happens every moment.

2005-07-15T04:43:00.000-07:00

Henry David Thoreau in 1854 said,

For a thousand hackings at the branches of evil,
it is worth nothing to one strike at the root.

JP has made me increasingly aware that, for the most part, evil is not an active menace embodied in some individuals; it's what happens in moments of weakness, and can happen within any individual at just about any time.

A single evil act can invalidate a lifetime of good, and no contrition can ever change the simple fact that evil happened. Furthermore, intentions don't matter, because evil acts committed with good intentions are evil.

So, the struggle against evil within a person happens moment by moment, every day that person is alive. Eternal vigilance is the price of goodness. And though goodness may be a painful struggle, it is the most worthwhile of all struggles I know.

Quintessential sitzfleisch is tenacity beyond reason.

2005-07-12T04:12:00.000-07:00

To whom much is given, much is expected.
-- Robert F. Kennedy

The essence of tragedy is peripeteia.

2005-07-10T03:13:00.000-07:00

My god, Rifkin, what a deracinated world you live in.
-- another day closer

Sacred cows make the tastiest hamburgers.

2005-07-07T04:20:00.000-07:00

Look, Rifkin, the Harvard Business Review says we prefer the lovable fool to the competent jerk.
-- hey now

I put a dollar in a change machine............ Nothing changed.

2005-07-04T00:02:00.000-07:00

I can't get my shit together, because my whole job is about not being together.
-- paraphrasing Irina paraphrasing another

Also Sprach Forellemädchen!!

2005-07-01T11:11:00.000-07:00

All painful experiences are good for you.
-- Forellemädchen as Übermensch, 7/1/2005

In general, people don't know what's good for them.
-- Kevin Murphy in response to her Übermensching

The key to selling is not to try to convince.

2005-06-18T14:12:00.000-07:00

Xander Blakely is one of Apple's top salespeople. When asked why he's so successful, he calmly explains that he never tries to convince a would-be customer to buy something.

He just qualifies whether a person is inclined to buy; if not, he thanks him or her politely for the time and moves on as quickly as possible.

By focusing on just the people who are inclined to buy, and showing them products they might like, he maximizes his sales.

As the Greek poet Archilochus wrote,

The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing.

Don't waste time trying to convince people they want or need what you have. Instead, find the ones with natural preference toward what you have.

...

Update, July 10, 2005. When I showed Xander this post, he said I was close, but would tweak it as follows:

Most people think sales is about changing people's minds, or getting them to want something they wouldn't have wanted without your intervention. Changing people's minds is one of the hardest things to do. And deception is not a sustainable business plan over the long haul. So, what is sales? It's getting people to tell you what they want. If you have something that meets that need/desire, do them a favor and tell them about it. If what you have is different from what they said they want, tell them anyway, just in case they misrepresented their desires.

Bottom line (and, of course, sales is all about the bottom line), you'll sell more if you spend your time searching for people who need what you have than by trying to con people who don't need what you have to buy it anyway. Pursuit is often more productive than persuasion.

I'm thankful for his clarification.

If you build it, they will come.

2005-06-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

There's a legend around the blogosphere that says that even the slightest mention of Robert Scoble (a/k/a Scobleizer) in a blogpost, will get him to notice that post.

The legend says this is true, no matter in what deep, dark, disconnected corner of the blogosphere that casual mention of Scoble might live.

Ok, I'm ready to test that legend. Let's see if he finds me here. Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice...

2 wrongs don't make a right, but 3 lefts do.

2005-05-27T20:59:00.000-07:00

People worry when someone keeps saying that the company is turning a corner. After all, if you turn four corners, you're back to where you started.
-- Kevin Murphy to Joyce Park earlier today

"Don't be evil" does not mean "be good"...

2005-05-23T04:20:00.000-07:00

The more complicated the Starbucks order, the bigger the asshole. If you walk into a Starbucks and order a "decaf grande half-soy, half-lowfat, iced vanilla, double-shot, gingerbread cappuccino, extra dry, light ice, with one Sweet-n'-Low and one NutraSweet," ooh, you're a huge asshole.
-- Bill Maher, 5/6/2005

Same salamander, different swamp.

2005-05-15T05:15:00.000-07:00

Hi! My name is...

Wait, why another blog??

Salon writes that Eminem is really three personas:

First came the runty Marshall Mathers, a quiet, artistic kid bounced from school to school by his overprotective, slightly unhinged mother. Then came M&M, later Eminem, the silver-tongued outcast who forsook fitting in with his white suburban classmates to concentrate on breaking into Detroit's overwhelmingly black rap scene. Finally, and most furiously, came Slim Shady, the vile, rhyme-sayin', bitch-slayin' MC out to even every score run up against his other selves. Yet none of these personas has canceled the other out.

I think I have something similar going on. There's Adam Rifkin -- the quiet, artistic kid who bounced from school to school. On the Internet, I perform as ifindkarma in places like blogger. And now there's mafiadrink, where I let my Slim Shady out. It's a darker place that can supplement the real me and the me I've been playing on the Internet.

I wonder if everybody is three people.

Is that what makes friendship important?

We'll see. Stay tuned.