Uh. BACK THE FUCK UP!

Readership, lately I've been going to the gym semi-regularly (I try to go at least once a week, ideally twice; I don't live on campus and I'm often too lazy to walk my ass out there). As anybody who has gone to a gym and/or has seen any fictional representation of a gym (on television, in a movie, etc.) knows, the average gym has a lot of exercise equipment in it. Also, if you have any common sense, you know that these machines, if used incorrectly, can cause a lot of physical harm, and in some extreme cases, death. You don't want to be in someone's space while they're using these machines, because it could end up hurting you or the person that's using it, or both.

So why do people think it's cool to walk within like five inches of me while I'm doing some exercise thing that clearly requires you to STAY THE FUCK BACK? And the worst part is, when I have to stop abruptly mid-rep (which is definitely not good for my muscles and bones and tendons and shit), because some DIPSHIT decided they couldn't wait TWO SECONDS for me to finish the rep before they tried to pass, they look at me like I'M the asshole.

Excuse me for making sure that I didn't fucking CRUSH you with 80 pounds of machine - at risk of physical harm to myself - because you decided you couldn't POSSIBLY wait one more second, and that you absolutely HAD to run by me at that EXACT moment, mid-rep. Because CLEARLY, that makes ME an asshole.

Fucker.

Stay classy

Why Do You Say Such Stupid Shit? Volume 7

Readership, I'm back. Yes, back. Again. With yet ANOTHER installment of the only regular "columns." I have to ask, Readership: Why do you say such stupid shit? Volume 7.

First off, from my homeslice Sam aka Sam-E: "What's good?"

There are a lot of things that are good. Sex is good. Beer is good. Food is good. Music is good. Sleep is good.

However, if someone were to come to you and say "Hey bro what's good?" and you were to respond with "sex," while you'd be 100% correct, they wouldn't be too happy with you. But fuck it, do it anyway. And let me know how they react.

Secondly, courtesy of Waldy aka Sh80 (he didn't like Waffles so we switched it up), we have "dead ass."

What THE fuck. "Dead ass?" How do you figure that is an affirmative statement? A dead ass is nothing that I'd want around me. Makes no got-damn sense.

Lastly, "who's laughing now?" Scenario:
Super evil guy has a plot to take over the world. His plot involves shooting dark matter into the atmosphere. Super good guy snags him just before he fires the dark matter cannon, in a harrowing move that leaves four dead and countless wounded in a collapsed building. Lots of sadness, even though it was resolved relatively positively. Fast forward a week, and now super good guy has been captured by super evil guy, who has him dangling from some evil sort of super death trap involving a vat of molten gold. Super evil guy says something along the lines of "Well, Mr. Super Good Guy, who's laughing NOWWWW!?"

Uh . . . who the fuck was laughing BEFORE? Did you not see the massive crater that used to be a building where all those people died?

Not funny, dick.

Stay classy

Mixed Signals Can Eat a Dick

Readership, I was having a conversation via Facebook Chat with my homeslice Sam aka Sam-E, and we readily came to an agreement: mixed signals can eat a dick. Let's get into a scenario here.

Guy invites girl out for dinner and a movie. Everything goes really well - nice restaurant, pleasant conversation, lots of laughs, the movie is enjoyable - all in all, a perfect night for two. Guy brings girl home, maybe a peck on the cheek at the door, then they part ways. Girl updates her Facebook status, something to the tune of "had a great time tonight :)", which Guy likes as soon as he gets home and checks his Facebook. Next morning, Guy texts Girl "good morning :)" or something cute.

Fast forward a week.

Guy isn't responding to texts. Guy isn't sending texts. No communication from Guy whatsoever.

Well, now, ain't this some ol' bullshit. Not picking on guys, because girls are often guilty of this as well (and I've been on the "wtf" end of this situation a couple of times, myself), but still. What the fuck.

Now, sometimes it's an honest mistake. Some people are just really ignorant to the signs and signals that they're sending out to people, and are genuinely surprised when someone who they see as a really close friend of the opposite sex is suddenly nose to nose, alternating between the "kiss me" eyes and staring at your lips. I've been on both sides of that situation (both the ignorant mixed-signals-sender and the kiss-wanting-friend) a few times, and to be honest, I didn't even know what was going on in either case until it was far too late and awkward. Thankfully I've been able to re-establish relations with the females in question (for the most part).

I digress.

Next, there are those malicious bastards that see what they're doing, and continue to do it, knowing full well that they're leading someone else on. Then, when they realize that this poor bastard is far too deeply infatuated to play the whole thing off as a joke, they split, hence the "good morning text to zero communication" maneuver. Not gonna lie, I sorta did that once, but once I realized what was going on, I pulled back into distant friend mode and everything's been working out pretty well since.

But yeah. Mixed signals can eat a massive dick. Especially if they're intentionally mixed. Like a dirty vodka martini of deception. Shaken, not stirred. Like your emotions.

I'm gonna stop now.

Also, I dunno if you know this, but this was my 180th post on this blog. Not quite a legit milestone, but definitely something I'm proud of. Thanks to all three or four of you who have been here since day one, and thanks to everybody that's jumped on since. It's good to know there are people who think what I'm saying is worth listening to.

And not that I have to tell you after 180 posts, but I'll do it anyway.

Stay classy

Baby Geniuses? Chill

Readership, at the moment I am exhausted. However, I just saw a very troubling commercial, and since lately a) I've been thinking up ideas for Observations and then falling asleep and forgetting in the morning; and b) it's almost mid-March and I haven't made an Observation yet, I think I need to drop this Observation before I collapse and forget it when I wake up.

Whew.

I'm sure that you've all seen those commercials for that weird program that teaches two-month-olds to read. It's actually quite remarkable, and it works. There are all these toddlers that demonstrate either the ability to read, or if they can't speak yet, the ability to comprehend what they're reading (for example, pulling up their shirt and poking their bellybutton when "bellybutton" is presented on a flashcard).

I think it's a fucking abomination. Don't get me wrong, it's amazing and it definitely gives the children an AMAZING and priceless academic advantage.

But at what cost? Yeah, your kid is going to be a genius. But that means they're going to be skipping grades and shit. I'm all for kids getting ahead, but if they're gonna be graduating high school at like 12 with a bunch of older kids that are much more advanced socially and biologically, it's going to be incredibly awkward for your kid. If I had to choose between a socially well-adjusted above average kid and a socially awkward genius, I'd definitely choose the former.

So yeah. Welcome to March, I'm going to bed.

Stay classy

Why Do You Say Such Stupid Shit? Volume 6

Readership, you already know what happened. Once again, I've stumbled on some key phrases that have pissed me RIGHT the hell off. Let's cut to the chase.

There are many variations for the phrase you're supposed to employ after someone thanks you for something. There's always the classic "you're welcome," and then a myriad of other choices, such as "no problem," and "it was my pleasure." But then you have "don't mention it." There's just something about "don't mention it" that pisses me off. I think it's the fact that it's used SO DAMN MUCH, when, as I see it, there are really only a few certain situations where it would be applicable.

People will say "don't mention it" when you thank them for stupid shit, like "hey man, thanks for telling me there was a test tomorrow, I'll be able to study tonight," or "thanks for bringing my mail in with yours." Why the hell wouldn't you want someone to mention the fact that you did that? Are you some sort of Mad Max superbadass who couldn't bear to have the public know that you did one decent thing in your life?

I mean, the way I see it, the only types of shit that should be met with "don't mention it" is some shit that REALLY SHOULDN'T BE MENTIONED. If someone says to you, "hey, thanks for killing my husband, now we can elope in Aruba," or "thanks for paying off that Customs Agent so we could move our cocaine into the country safely," THEN you can say "don't mention it." Otherwise, chill the fuck out with that.

Secondly, the classic phrase "long story short." When the HELL has the story to follow that phrase been short? And the fucked up part is that usually, after you've sat and listened to this EPIC FUCKING POEM of a story for the last hour and a half, you come to the realization that it actually COULD'VE been told in a much shorter version - so the asshole might as well have started the whole conversation with "short story long."

Lastly, this is one that kills me. Let me set up the scenario.

You're asleep. You're dreaming about something pleasant, but then your dream is interrupted by a sort of buzzing noise. It's rhythmic and in perfect cadence. Finally, you wake up, still groggy and for a second you have no fucking clue who you are or what planet you're on, but the buzzing is louder than ever. You see something buzzing and skidding around on your desk with a bright light on it, and instinctively grab it before realizing it's your phone, ringing. You put it up to your ear and the conversation goes a little something like this:

You- "....hello..ughhh..."
Person- "Hey.... uh, were you sleeping?"
You- "...yeah.."
Person- "Ohhh I'm sorry! I'll call you back."

"NO FUCKER YOU WOKE ME UP YOU BETTER MAKE THIS SHIT INTERESTING!"
That's what you think, but you're too nice to say that, so instead you say:

You- "...nah, it's okay, it's cool... what's up?"
Person- "No, no, it's nothing, I'll call you later, it's not important."

WHAT THE FUCK YOU WOKE ME UP FOR SOME UNIMPORTANT SHIT?
At this point, you've got my permission to say that.

God I love people.

Stay classy

Formspring

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CD Compilations

Readership, there are many, many things in this wide, wide world that make absolutely NO sense. From bottled water to white people on Fringe, there are many things that are just ridiculous. Recently, however, something else has smacked me in the face with the illogical and pointless nature of its existence.

If you keep the TV on long enough, you're bound to see a commercial for a CD compilation. Some examples include "Buzz Balads," "the Edge," and "Now That's What I Call Music Volume 1232139873242398472" (or whatever number they're up to now), but I'm sure you could find more if you took the time to search.

The deal with these TV CD compilations goes a little something like this: first you have a Star Wars-esque rising text with every song that's on the compilation and who it's by, with the songs in yellow text being played - video included - on the commercial, while some guy tells you how fuckin' awesome this compilation is. Then you see that it's $19.95 plus shipping and handling.

A retard would jump on that shit super quick - $22 or so for a bunch of songs from albums that are out of print and/or would cost like $20 each anyway is a steal, right?

Wrong.

First off, if you're an old guy (the target demographic for the rock CD compilations, I think), you probably have all the albums that these songs are yoinked from. There's this wonderful thing called the CD burner, which works by putting songs on your computer, and then burning them onto a CD, to make a custom compilation. In fact, that's actually what the assholes selling the CD compilations on TV are doing, believe it or not.

And if you don't have the albums, there's this other wonderful thing called Limewire that will get them for you.

Dumbass.

Stay classy

Men

Readership, I recently saw something that upset me greatly. I'll reproduce it for you below.

"Male: the cause of global warming and everything else bad that happens on earth; A walking idiot with a penis - true. but that is only the begining of their definition. assholes. God had to be a man because only a man would create more retards of the same kind. If God was a woman, we wouldn't have men walking this Earth. i stopped believing that there are decent guys out there just because there isnt. read my definition. men are the cause for global warming. you ask why? that makes no sense. okay look at it this way.what is global warming caused by? garbage. EXACTLY why men cause it. MEN are GARBAGE. end of story."

I'll withold the name, because I'm a nice guy (despite what this person believes about nice guys no longer existing).

As you should know, Waldy and I have predicted the Fall of Man will come upon us by the hand of Vagina. You might see that and think "well shit, looks like this person might have a point, asshole."

And you'd be wrong.

While men might be assholes - while MOST men might be assholes - MOST of them didn't start that way. Men can take a lot of abuse (how do you think we survived the stone age? men had to kill sabretoothed tigers and shit to feed the family), but constant abuse from women (I'm talking emotional . . . for the most part) is what breaks a man. I'm not saying all women are bitches, just like I'm not saying all men are assholes. It's like everything else. There are nice women, and nice men, and there are bitches, and there are assholes.

Not to toot my own horn, but I consider myself a very nice guy. I hold the door open for women (regardless of attractiveness), I don't lie to girlfriends, I don't cheat, and I've never had a girl for a one night stand. What has that gotten me?

My girlfriend junior year of high school told me we were going on a "break" and made it abundantly clear that we were going to get back together at some point in the near future, when knowing full well she had no intentions of doing so. My girlfriend senior year cheated on me repeatedly with a mutual friend and lied to me about it. After visiting my first girlfriend freshman year of college in her home state for New Years at her request (and because I wanted to be with her), we got back and she professed she had feelings for a mutual friend, for whom she left me. The aftermath of that was pretty ugly. After breaking up with my girlfriend sophomore year of college - something I did, mind you, because I saw how unfair it was for her being in a relationship where she wasn't getting nearly as much back as she was putting in - some really terrible shit went down, and my life was literally almost pulled out from under my feet, and there was nothing I could do about it.

Let me stop right here for a moment and say this, and know that I mean it: Every situation I just mentioned has been resolved. I'm cool with every girl I just mentioned, or at least I'd like to think so. I can text/AIM/whatever every one of those girls and it would be okay. Sparks wouldn't fly. I had sushi with the second girl I mentioned before I got back to school, I have a class this semester with the third girl I mentioned (a class which sucks major dick, by the way), and while I'll admit I don't talk to the last girl I mentioned very much, it's not because I don't like her or I think she hates me or anything.

The point is, after ALL THAT, I'm still the same good guy. Much to the surprise of many of my friends, who have seen me unhappy and crushed because of a girl and been upset by it, I'm still the same good guy. I still don't cheat. I still hold doors open for women. I still respect women.

But that's me. And a few other guys. Not everybody can take the shit and walk away with a smile, and THAT'S where the assholes come in. I'm not saying that there aren't some guys who were just BORN assholes, because there are. I'm just saying that not every one of us is an asshole, and that while it's not an excuse for assholery, most of the assholes were made that way by girls. You girls have much more of an effect than you could possibly ever know. That's why, sadly regardless of whatever efforts Waldy and I can muster, you and yours will one day take over the world.

But yeah.

Just had to get that off my chest.

Stay classy

A Quick Announcement

Readership, I've always considered myself a man of the people, and I
get a happy feeling every time someone that I don't know personally
takes the time to come by, read, and comment on something I've
written. I even like the ones that disagree. Honest.

In the spirit of encouraging more interaction between myself and the
people I'm hopefully entertaining (that'd be you lovely people), I
offer this. Ask me any question you like. You can ask totally anonymously, or leave your name (or some pseudonym that only you and I would understand). I answer every single question I receive, and I answer them all 100% honestly.

Sound like something you'd be down for? Then head on over to
Formspring and ask away.

And whatever you do.

Stay classy

Stupid Commercials!

Readership, Waldy's Xbox has been bleeding quite profusely from its proverbial vagina these past few days, which has severely limited my ability to play Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto. Thus, I've been watching much more television than I was at this time last semester - or, indeed, at any other point in my college career.

Of course, with the increase in viewing hours of television, there comes an increase in the amount of commercials I see. And this means, as you well know from such Observations as this, this and this, that I've once again found a couple commercials that put me right on the train to Pissed the Fuck Off-ville.

First off, there's this one.

"Oh . . . not tonight sweetie, you've had Chef every night this week."

What the hell kind of mother serves her kid Chef Boyardee for dinner EVERY NIGHT? I assume that it's at least Wednesday (otherwise the mother would've said something along the lines of "you had Chef last night" if it was only Tuesday), so for at least two days this kid has eaten Chef Boyardee for dinner. I mean, the stuff is good, but it's not "eat it and only it" good.

Secondly, what the fuck is up with the kid? A can of Chef Boyardee - a can, moreover, that you held in your own hands in the store that is AT LEAST five miles away - just happens to roll through your doggie door and into your lap, and you just pick it up and SMILE? If that shit happened to me, I'd be like "WHOA WHAT THE FUCK WHERE DID THIS CAN COME FROM HOW'D IT GET HERE NINJAS COMMUNISTS WHAT'S GOING ON!?" The can is freakin' possessed - that's some shit straight out of a Steven King novel, and thus some shit that I just can't get down with.

Whew.

Secondly, EVERY commercial about saving abused animals and shit.

NOW LISTEN!

I love animals. All jokes aside, as soon as I have my own place, I'm getting a kitten and naming him Nigel. I've grown up around dogs and cats and parrots and shit. I genuinely love animals.

But to be perfectly honest, with the number of people that are homeless in America, or starving, and the children dying from easily-curable diseases and shit abroad - HUMAN BEINGS in need - I could give a fuck about these animals.

It's not because I'm heartless. Every time I see the commercial with the little kitten pawing at the camera with its big eyes I feel a little sad. But then I realize that there are other PEOPLE in far worse situations than the cat, and I get angry. Call me crazy (just don't call me Shirley), but I feel like we should be helping our fellow man before our fellow man's best friend.

Lastly, there's this bullshit. This commercial pisses me off for two reasons. One, the whole "Swine Flu" thing pisses me off, because of the vehement debates on either side of the issue. One side is all "HOLY FUCK WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE FROM SWINE FLU ZOMG WHATEVER WILL WE DO?" and the other side is all "you guys are retarded." And it pisses me off. I mean, the flu is serious. It DOES kill people every year. While the Swine Flu hasn't killed nearly as many people as the "regular flu," it still is killing people, which makes it dangerous. The fact that people are writing it off as a complete joke kinda pisses me off.

And secondly, what the hell fat kid? Could that sneeze have been ANY FAKER? I mean, I know you're in like second grade, but DAMN. Your acting is fucking TERRIBLE. You couldn't have found a kid who WASN'T a retard to do the sneeze? Shit.

Stay classy

Why Do You Say Such Stupid Shit? Volume 5

Jeeze Louise, Readership, it looks like I'm back - yet AGAIN - with yet ANOTHER installment of "Why Do You Say Such Stupid Shit?"

I received quite an interesting message today from Hannah aka H-Rose, which brought to my attention a couple new, INCREDIBLY STUPID phrases that people say and think are intelligent. Let's get to it.

First off, we have something that's more of a "stupid shit to say archetype" than an actual "stupid shit to say." Basically, it entails you doing something (usually accidentally), and then someone nearby says something to the effect of "watch out for *whatever accident just happened*." Examples? Oh fo sho.

YOU: "Ouch I just hit my head on this low branch!"
ASSHOLE: "Watch your head."

YOU: "AAARGGHHH I've been shot!"
ASSHOLE: "Yeah, watch out for guys with guns cuz they like to shoot."

YOU: "Awww TITS! I pressed the wrong button and now a nuclear bomb is going to detonate over China, thrusting the world into a global conflict that - if there are any survivors - will be known forever as World War III . . . instead of the button to call my secretary!"
ASSHOLE: "Make sure you press the right buttons, man."

That's when the sticks come out and people's feelings (and faces) get hurt. Cuz seriously? Wow! That would've helped me like TWO SECONDS AGO, BEFORE I HIT MY HEAD / GOT SHOT / STARTED WORLD WAR III!

For all the good you did, you should've just sat down, gotten comfortable, and had a nice, hot cup of SHUT THE FUCK UP.

And then we have the always lovely, "I'm ready when you are." Logically, this phrase makes little sense, and in practice (taken literally), VERY rarely happens as such. When was the last time that, completely by chance, you and a friend that were going somewhere together were ready at exactly the same time? Yeah, I can't remember when that was for me either.

Usually, when you say "I'm ready when you are," what you MEAN is something along the lines of "Hurry up you lazy prick, you're holding me up and I got places to go and shit to do!" Except you don't want to be an asshole about it and call out your buddy. However, if they continue to be a lazy prick and hold you up, you have my express written consent to use that phrase verbatim. Dictated, not read. Signed, Fred the Observer.

Fucking idiots make me sad and happy at the same time. Sad because I'm upset that they're still in the gene pool. Happy because I get to bitch about it here.

Anyway. Thanks again to H-Rose for the topics, and please, whatever you do, Readership . . .

Stay classy

Motivational Posters

Readership, something has come to my attention recently that has troubled me greatly. Allow me to explain.

I'm sure that all of you have heard of and seen the amazing gift God has given to the world, called "De-Motivational Posters." If not, a couple examples can be found here and here. A Google Image Search of "demotivational posters" would yield countless more beautiful examples.

These "De-Motivational Posters" have enriched the lives of many people since the genius who invented them introduced them to the world. Personally, I've been on the verge of tears, seen a De-Motivational Poster, and my frown was turned instantly upside-down as I laughed uncontrollably. They are hilarious, timeless, and most of all, fuckin' AWESOME.

But! Something eluded my perception. In the very naming of this funnybone-ticklery as a "DE-Motivational Poster," it follows logically that there must be a NON-de-Motivational Poster, or as the more grammatically inclined of us would say, a regular ol' Motivational Poster.

I did a quick Google Search.

And I was appalled.

What the fuck is this bullshit? Or this?

Does anybody honestly ever get motivated by this sorta shit? And then I did a little more digging, and found out that these posters are put up mostly in corporate-style office buildings.

What the fuck!?

I'm going to come to this same BULLSHIT dead-end job five days a week - maybe six! - for every week from now until my 65th birthday, at which point I'll most likely retire and due to the absolute shambles that Social Security is in currently, have to find another job to keep my house and keep food in my belly - BUT THANK GOD that there's that poster on the wall, telling me that persistence will help, and that aspiring to climb as high as I can dream is something I should be doing! Without that, I might just throw my ergonomic chair out my twelfth-story office window and then jump out after it!

Fuck!

This cognitive psych class is definitely not helping my good nature and sunny fucking disposition.

Wooo-sah. Wooo-sah.

Stay classy

Paying to get Laid - Financially Sound?

Readership, I was talking to the ever-lovely Jordan today, and the subject of getting pussy came up.

Oh yeah.

But yeah. She related to me a highly philosophical debate she'd played party to in her days as a bartender. The debate stemmed from the question of "to pay, or not to pay for pussy." While this question was being debated, it was discovered that even if you don't directly pay for it, if you go through conventional channels (i.e. not rape), you will end up paying for pussy, even if it is highly indirectly. An explanation? Of course.

There are two ways to go about getting laid if you're a guy. One, is to hire a prostitute/go to a brothel/etc. This means you pay directly to get pussy. Is it dirty? Probably. Is it good? Probably not. But it's pussy. So you get laid.

The other way is to be a player about it. This is a blanket term for actually talking to a girl and taking her out to dinner and whatnot, and for going to the club and macking, etc.

If you're a broke ass dude, which is the easier of the two for your small budget? Most would say that it would be cheaper to actually mack and be a gent about it, but I'm going to disagree. Why?

How much money did you spend on the outfit you're wearing? Unless you're buying from the bargain bin, a good outfit with name brands is going to run you about $100-$120, then another $100 or so for some fly kicks. The watch, even if it's fake, will run you from $30-$50, and the chain another $50. That right there is $280 minimum. Add taking her to dinner ($40) and a movie ($30), and you're over $370. And factor in gas, and you're over $400.

Let's pause here. This is one date. In the preparation (clothes and transportation) and the actual date, you're spending over $400. And statistically speaking, you're not even likely to get any pussy from her that night.

Looking in your local newspaper at the escort classifieds, you can get a classy escort to come to your house and smash for around $200, depending on where you are.

In summation. While I don't personally prefer going after escorts to looking for a meaningful relationship (which I have now), speaking strictly financially, it is preferable.

Who'da thunk it.

Stay classy

Barbershops

Readership, since my hair grows like a vociferous weed on plant-steroids, I've had to have several haircuts while I've been away at college in Queens. I had two last school year, and today, my second of this school year. There were three barbershops around St. John's. There were the Jewish guys, the black guys, and the Dominican guys. The black guys, much to my dismay, closed down at some point last year, second semester. I went to each barbershop once each, with the exception of the Dominican barbershop because of the aforementioned closing.

Anyway.

Each place was an experience, and since classes start tomorrow and I'm trying to be a good boy and get good grades - and thus won't have much free time to blog/bitch during the first week of classes - I thought I'd drop those experiences on ya. Let's do this (LEEEEROYYYYY JENKINSSSS).

The first place I ever went to get my hair cut was the black barbershop. Now, this was my first time ever setting foot inside a black barbershop, but I HAD seen the Ice Cube movie "Barbershop," so I had an idea of what to expect. I opened the door, stepped in, and instantly realized that the movie "Barbershop" was almost a carbon copy of the actual barbershop (minus Cedric the Entertainer) - right down to the one "Eminem" white guy in there cutting hair.

Suddenly, from around my left elbow, came a low, surly voice.

"Yo. You wanna get CUT?"

And I was like "WHOA WHAT THE FUCK NO!" and I sorta freaked out a bit. But he gave me a look that said, quite plainly, "dumbass cracka" and said "Nah b, your HAIR." And I was like "oh fo sho."

About an HOUR AND A HALF LATER, I'm still in the chair. I'm legally blind (duh) so I can't see my reflection too clearly, but from what I can see, he's just about done (cuz I'm lookin' good). Suddenly, he stops with the clipper, spins me around SUPER FAST to face him, and says, "yo . . . you want me to go get muh blade?"

"WHOA WHAT THE FUCK NO!" He shot me the same "dumbass cracka" look, went out to his car, and came back with a butterfly-knife (which worried me even more). He grabbed a spray bottle full of (what I thought was) water, and told me, and I quote, "put your head back." Something told me "CLOSE YO EYES BITCH" and I did, just in time - because it wasn't water.

It was rubbing alcohol.

The Jewish guys were, again, an experience. There were like six of them, but only two of them were cutting hair. The other four were watching the door, like they expected half of Palestine to suddenly flood through the door and try and take over. The two cutting hair were polar opposites. One was old and wise, the other young and trendy. The young guy cut my hair, and kept asking me questions about how I wanted my hair cut, like I was a retard. "Do you want it . . . like mine? Or . . . like his?" And I was sitting there like "are you fuckin' serious bro?"

As an aside, they were the only barbershop I visited with a cash register.

Lastly, and most recently, was the Dominican barbershop. I've been twice, and both times I was highly satisfied with the results. When I went the first time, I got the chill, older guy (out of the three barbers there; the other two were a little older than me and crazy).

I'm gonna pause here for a second to drop a little knowledge. I'm Puerto Rican. Obviously, Dominicans and Puerto Ricans both speak Spanish. Most people will tell you that Puerto Ricans speak quickly, regardless of what language they're speaking, and they'd be right. However, when it comes to speaking Spanish at a rapid pace, there is no race better than the Dominicans.

So, I'm sitting there in the chair, and these guys are rapid-firing Spanish at each other, and from the little bit that I actually catch, I come to understand that they're debating amongst themselves. The topic? My ethnicity. Finally, the chill guy cutting my hair stops and says to me, "What are you man?" So I told him. He smiled and laughed, because he won the argument.

The first thing the crazy younger guy says when I sit in the chair? He starts arguing with the chill guy about my ethnicity again. The chill guy goes "boriquen" which is Spanish slang for "Puerto Rican," and the crazy guy goes "No. Wrong. What are you buddy?" He was pissed when I told him I was Puerto Rican.

So yeah. Three different barbershops. Three very different flavors.

Completely unrelated to the above: I don't wanna go to class tomorrow.

Stay classy

Art

Readership, there's been something that's been bothering me for quite some. It's a bit . . . semantic. Allow me to explain.

Due to the natural progression of a society, certain words and phrases will go in and out of style, or change meanings. Usually it's a pretty drastic change - for example, in the twenties, a "pussy" was a normal thing to call a cat. Now it's slang for "vagina" or someone who fits the description of "scared to do anything" or a "bitch."

There's one word that has managed to change its definition so drastically that the original definition has been lost to the ages. What word is it?

Art.

Back in the Renaissance, art was a word that was reserved for something visual that stirred the soul - you looked up at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, or saw the Mona Lisa, or the Statue of David, and you KNEW it was art. There was no doubt in your mind that what you were looking at was something that transcended the very lives of the men who created them, and would be considered almost sacred centuries after their deaths.

Nowadays, art has as much of a set-in-stone, concrete definition as the word "thingamagig," or better yet, "jount." It's ridiculous. There are people who spend LOTS OF MONEY on "paintings" that were made, to be perfectly honest, by someone just throwing paint at a blank canvas until they felt they were done. There are these large, plastic "statues" (for lack of a better word) around Yale and Downtown New Haven that are just abominations. They're shapeless, mindless, and pointless. But it's "art." And I'm sure the guy that the City of New Haven contracted to create these "works of art" made a fucking killing.

Basically, it seems like anything can be art, and since the definition is so subjective, nobody could say that what you said was art, wasn't actually art. Technically, my shoe is art. So is my shower. That broken window? Art. That cardboard box, with one side ripped off? Art. The computer on which I'm typing this Observation? Art. The letter N? Art.

When I get back to St. John's, I think I might just go up to my old art teacher and take a shit right there on the floor in the middle of the classroom.

And call it art.

Stay classy