Gatsby? What Gatsby?

First off, I apologize for not being on regularly. I'm spearheading on a school club project which requires all my time, energy, sanity, and strength. By May 6th it should all be over. Then May 7th is my sister's birthday, and May 10 is...

THE GREAT GATSBY! :)

I am so looking forward to the movie. I read the book more than a year ago now, and of course the movie was to be released this past Christmas but got pre-empted to May 10th.

I've been following TGG on Google + (against my better judgment because I hate to use any kind of social media besides InfiniteMind) but the sets and pictures they release almost daily are extravagant, frivolous, and nothing short of stunning. If only real life was that way...

The soundtrack I was very hesitant about, since the book is about the 'Jazz Age', and this is rap and hip-hop, which I totally hate because I can't understand it and besides, songs shouldn't have any more than 3 cussing words. Just my two cents.

But the soundtrack sampler (which I'll have as the music/video of the week) is just brilliant. The songs, while they may be hip hop, are actually very swing-type and jazzy, like something Fitzgerald would have wanted to write about. (Side note: At Gatsby's party, the orchestra plays "Jazz History of the World" by Vladimir Tostoff. The composer and song are fake. But Fitzgerald was trying to show that jazz was crazy and insane, and that people would be completely presumptuous as to create a "history of the world" using jazz. It'd be like today, Eminem or Jay-Z or what have you decided to create a Hip-Hop History of Da World (or sth like that.) For us classical lovers, doesn't that sound presumptuous? Same principle.)

Now to literature notes. I compare myself a lot to Gatsby, or at least I like to. We both had "grand visions for his life since he was a boy," to use Nick's term. (For the record, I think Nick was a little too interested in Gatsby, but that's a matter for another time.)

Of course, I have no intention to go off chasing a girl I met for a month 5 years ago and trying to get her to marry me the way it should have been done 5 years ago. Poor Gatsby. For all the techniques he use to get the completely-not-worth-it Daisy Buchanan, he was very innocent. A bootlegger who was involved in cover-ups and murders, even, he was very naive to think that Daisy would just instantly go with him. And that's my take on the story.

One last thing: I think it's important to note that that 'dream' that Gatsby was chasing, the American Dream, was regarded as impossible by Fitzgerald. He has most of the characters want something, and it never comes to pass. (Nick wants to live in the East, Myrtle Wilson wants to go out West, Gatsby and Daisy are some examples.

Despite the fact that The American Dream can and does exist for many people, I think Fitzgerald was trying to prove that the dream wouldn't last and just fade away. The Twenties did, unfortunately, and we all know how that ended out. Fitzgerald sure knew how to prove a point and foreshadow the end of an era with his flowery, awesome language. Brilliant.

-Rob

Come One, Come All, It's The Renaissance Faire!

Edit 8/3/13: For some reason I'm having real trouble with this post. For example if you got here  through LinkWithin, I can't get the picture of Cory launching his marshmallow thrower. It disappeared. Other pictures may disappear as well, or otherwise the text becomes really big.  I'm trying to solve it but we'll see what happens. I may have to uninstall LinkWithin. 

HUZZAH! (for the generous tipper, may I add)

Today I was at the Renaissance Pleasure Faire, a truly fun and memorable experience if you care about history, art, jousts, knights, people speaking Olde English, queens, clowns, mazes, and extra credit!

I can't really explain it because it was just so epic, so instead I shall make a Ye Olde Merrye Montage of Portraits (not photos!) of today's highlights, starring (in alphabetical order) Allison, Arturo, Cory, Judy, Kerry, Lauren, Matt and yours truly, Lord Robert Cyrano Hercule de-Savinien de BERGERAC! >:D

Captions are either real things said by those in it, or my imagination.

Assassin: Should I kill him? ...or just get a quick bite before I go...

Rob: Matt, you look more like a drunkard than I do

Matt: Nope...your expression's just creepy, man...

A courageous plot to assault The Queen...who of us 8 is courageous to do it?

Allison: ME!!!

Drunk: Fair Maiden, you shall lead us!

Rob: Everyone, there you go: Perfect person to blame. >:D 

Me: I'm thirsty, mind sharing some of that?

Guy: Hahahahah no.

Kerry: If you do not share it with us I will cut off your head. Now. >:D

Judy: Yeah, just listen to her...

Guy: Hahahahah - *dies*

Guy: Call me Sir Walter Raleigh

Rob: Aren't you supposed to be in the Tower or in prison?

Guy: Speak a little louder, would you? The Queen's like, right *over there*...

Arturo (thinking): Please hurry up with the picture before the Queens cut off my head

Rob: Is this a dagger I see before me?

Matt: RUN!!!

Rob: Nope, just a plastic sword...

Guy: That's what *you* think...

Lauren: Give me a go with the catapult!

Allison: Hahaha I've stolen Matt's >:D

Arturo: Guys...I'm trying to hit Cory's head without him looking...Oh, hi, Cory! 

Matt: Guys, I swear this picture is staring at me o.o

Judy: Just smile...Allison, what are you doing?

Allison: Oh, look, it's a sword fight

Kerry: No, it's just Rob waving his hat back and forth

Lauren: I am so pro at this!

Kerry: I'm sort of concerned about your aim...Don't go trying to hit me

Lauren: Oops >:D

Allison (thinking): And THAT is what happens to my sworn enemies.

The man of the hour, finally found - The Elusive William Shakespeare! Of course, I just naturally had to take the plume and use it as a quill to get his signature. Goal of the Day: Completed. Like a boss. Or a sir. Or...a Bard.

To the next.
-Rob (Hercule-Savinien Cyrano de Bergerac Miranda)

Triviality VII: Samuel Johnson

Here you go. Nine index cards, with everything I have to say on Dr. Samuel Johnson, one of the greatest writers English has known. :) You'll have to turn your computer screen quite a lot because I was feeling creative. Enjoy, and let me know how you liked it in the comments. Suggestions and constructive criticism are extremely welcome. :)

You will need to find an email, log in, and retrieve important information. However, you obviously need the username and password.

Use the clues below to find out what the username is, in order:

11-9-14-7
The last name of the grandfather of the first Holy Roman Emperor
The year that the most recent blogpost’s subject died.

Follow this by @gmail.com (obviously)

Once you’re done, go to gmail.com, and sign in with the username you deciphered, and the password, which is the name of this blog.

Good luck! Oh, also: the second number of the code is the second digit of the most recent blogpost’s subject’s birth year.

Enjoy! Sound off below in the comments. Anything I can fix or revise to make this cooler?

TNN!

-Rob

Alphabetical Advancements and an Adventuristic Announcement

Prepare for a rather boring blogpost, but I feel like mentioning it, so what the hell. :)

I've been mostly avoiding the Interweb this week, and I'll continue to do so at least until May, because of large project I'm spearheading at school. Nothing to worry about. I'll still be on InfiniteMind, with new Trivialities and stuff I'm hoping will be at least a bit more creative than what I've done the past two months.

So why have I been busy? Besides the above project, I mean. Because...

I'm organizing my extensive book collection with a filing system! Yay!

I know, it's lame. I get it. But this is good. I don't believe I mentioned but last week I was in my garage, living there, pretty much, with the family. We were getting hardwood floors put in and all this stuff. And Thursday my bookcases just went in. So I've been deciding a new order for my books, since they're all in the garage.

It'll be mainly alphabetical, but as for my many (unfinished) notebooks and documents, I will put them in a "mind palace" sort of setting/ordering on shelves A1-A2. (Yes, I label my shelves.)

This is good because I usually put my books depending on favoritism or whatever. But I have too many favorite books. And it's confusing and most books end up on my desk than the shelves, etc.

So I'll be doing that this weekend. Tuesday I begin my new Triviality project, and then it'll continue on from there.

Just one last thing (that I think you'll all enjoy): I'm gonna write a Sherlock Holmes-esque story. Strictly for the blog. How does that sound? I was rereading all my Sherlock Holmes books and short stories over the break last week, and I am just interested in writing one. Plus watching all 6 episodes of Sherlock in a row (again) didn't help. So I'll work on that, and hopefully I get all of this done! InfiniteMind will be a very fun place to visit in the next few weeks... :)

To keep you busy, I'm titling the mystery The Adventure of the Broken Candle, and will feature a sort of Sherlock Holmes character who isn't exactly Sherlock Holmes-esque. It involves a broken candle (obviously), binary code, a journalist, an encyclopedia book, a camera obscura, and a spyglass. (This sounds so Lemony Snicket, but oh well.) It'll be in maybe 3 or 4 parts, to be released weekly. That's it.


TTN! (To the next!)
-Rob

A Moveable Feast

Easter's over. Unfortunately I was unable to make a blogpost because of the celebration and day. So today I'll just make a couple announcements over the blog at large that I've been meaning to make.

The site is changed to white for Easter. Yay! It'll likely stay that way until Thursday, or so. (yes, I know there is an Easter season for 50 days. But as it so happens, I want my red back.)

I'll be on a bit more, probably. I'm trying to leave certain sites I've been addicted to lately (no, not Facebook - yes, you, Sporcle!) and maybe I'll update certain aspects of the blog. Maybe.

Trivialities will be on hold for about a couple of weeks or so, because I want to try a new system I thought up yesterday at my aunt's house that might be fun for all you illustrious readers.

And I'm going to a Renaissance Faire in less than 2 weeks, which will be the first time I will use photos in the blog, as a sort of commemoration. Then I'll likely use photos often in posts.

All that being said, have a great day.


To the next!
-RM

(Note: Wikipedia calls Easter a 'moveable feast', since it always moves with the seasons. This is an excellent term for a holiday. It sounds cool. And it's a Hemingway novel, though. Posthumous.)