quieter

I currently have the pleasure of sorting through my dvd collection…. in an attempt to get rid of as many dvds as possible (need more space!). There are a lot of dvds that I can’t easily part with–The Lord of the Rings box set, for example. There are the dvds that you would think I could get rid of easily, but I pause: Johnny To’s “Running on Karma”, which features Andy Lau in a Big man suit? But, actually, a great, entertaining movie.

Then there are the indefensibles, the dvds that are still shrink wrapped, that I purchased but never watched.

For example, the DVD pictured below, a look at the cover and you already know what the movie is–a Bollywood rich playboy meets family obligations, I mean, girl, and then slapstick rollercoaster to the wedding at the end. Except that it probably isn’t–I don’t know, I haven’t watched it yet.

But after closer inspection, the purchase isn’t entirely indefensible. I am guessing that I was moved to buy this after reading the copy on the back:

“The story opens with Vijay returning from the USA, to join his family business. The only son of a widower industrialist, Vijay carries home with him the attitude of the western world, some good, like equality of man and woman in a relaxtionship [sic], and some bad, like failure to recognise marriage as an institution.”

I don’t often point to other sites on this blog, but I really enjoyed reading this speech comedian Patton Oswald gave at his high school alma mater.

It is pretty funny, which is what you would expect, but poignant and thoughtful as well.

i’m not sure quite where this happened, but my thinking has gotten older. some would say matured. when or where this happened isn’t obvious. it didn’t happen overnight. but it did happen.

what is this “older thinking”? well, it is a less idealistic, much more pragmatic. it has to do with my attitude towards work and life and love. but primarily work. my expectations of the work-world are that it will be a slog, a fight, that it will never be what it should be. “do your job, keep your nose down, get it done” but not to expect it to be all roses because “it is a job. if you loved it, it wouldn’t be work.”

this attitude runs counter to my experience and my job when i was much younger. but now that i am a bit older i think—maybe it wasnt the job. maybe it was just me, and my idealism, and love of work, that got me through that situation. i wonder if, given the same situation, how i would be do now–with my “older thinking” in place.

a discussion over the weekend–is it truly possible to find a job that you love? the conclusion was “no, that is why it is called work”. a bit depressing, but probably true. a columnist from the financial times was quoted, in response to complaints about “lack of meaning in work”, that being able to feed your family is reason enough to work, and should provide satisfaction. we are so far up Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy that our concerns about self-fullfillment in our work is a bit ludicrous in comparison to the vast numbers of people in the world who suffer.

still–we have these concerns, and we have to live our own lives. i wonder if a re-reading of alain de botton here might not do me some good. i know that i have some dissatisfaction with where i am, career-wise, and am trying to sort that out.

i am not particularly happy with the idea that i just need to settle for a job that will support my family. i would like to think i could do better. but i look around, even at my most successful friends, and i do not see much self-fulfillment in work.

for the moment, i will leave this question open.

Wow.

So, I found myself in Seoul, S. Korea last Saturday night, and my friend took me to a great little venue near Shinchon called Cafe Bbang, the prototypical artists/musicians basement painted in bright colors and with a great quilted backdrop to the stage area. We got seats in the back corne and sat down to enjoy the show.

All the bands were great, but the headliner, Loro’s, was amazing. A 5 piece band, playing mostly instrumental music with occasional lyrics, they produce a multi-layered soundscape that builds from pianamissimo interludes to huge banging drum and guitar pieces. The band includes a cellist/vocalist, two guitars, keyboard/vocalist, and an awesome drummer. I don’t know how to describe the sound–kind of like the Album Leaf, but with more expansive and dramatic highs.

I could go on, but you’ll just have to wait to hear the real thing when they release their first album in February.

A new holiday tradition for me is to check the website of Tight Ship Records. The owner, Barry Phipps, gets his friends together every year to record some holiday music–which is also the name of their band. You can buy their music from the website, or you can just download it for free.

Holiday Music is great for when you are tired of the same old carols, but want something festive. This year there’s even a song with lyrics, “Wrapper’s Delight”.

Enjoy! and happy holidays.