FIVE THINGS : INFLUENCERS, LORETTA & LISZT, BUSAN.

I.

I like to think there are few people in the world who are capable of effortlessly switching back and forth from listening to Loretta Lynn to Franz Liszt and then back again, and I am one of those people.

#celebrity

II.

I think one of the most embarrassing spectacles of this point in history, outside the realm of obvious political stinker at the highest level, is the notion of influencers. The idea that some people, on the basis of having carefully-staged hyper-saturated pictures of themselves against colorful walls or "snapshots" of holding a half-warm latte they post to a social network that has gained them billions of followers for some inexplicable reason - and likely a bit of algorithmic luck - that this somehow qualifies them as...tastemakers, trendsetters, and somehow on a higher level of recommending products and services of some company paying them to promote? I mean, good on them for making a livelihood out of it. But let's not mistake 99% of these for being visionary, innovative, or creating something that will last. I get the immediate gratification and adrenaline that comes from immediate feedback from the masses. But it will not last. Because these are not built on content that means anything significant (most of the time).

The best thing that can be said about the accounts of many of these 'influencers' is that someday many will recycle - or try to recycle - what they're doing now into a "can you guys believe I used to do that?' narrative as they're trying desperately to grab hold of their old glory. And grab attention again from their once devoted 'followers.'

I loathe these phrases we've come to use. Followers and influencers. The 18th through 20th centuries had beautiful sounding social stratifications you could write poetry or epic novels about. Bourgeoisie. Proletariat. They were loaded phrases, but they meant something. Influencers? Followers? Huh? 

I resolved long ago to try and not dismiss the new and different merely because it's new and different and I don't get it. But let's not mistake innovation for something just plain ridiculous, homogenized, and derivative. 

Wanna be an influencer? Here's two ideas:

First, make good content. And create it without the express purpose of making it simply to post onto a network and immediately get visceral satisfaction that you've somehow made something worthy. No. You probably haven't. Make something that is quality, that is unique, and that you are making or capturing because you want to and are making it first for an audience of one. Yourself and the high standards you should set for yourself.

Second, be a good person in real life and give your attention to the present. Don't turn everything and every moment into a shareable one. The most generous and wonderful way you can be an authentic influencer is first by being present and giving your attention to those you're with. 

There.

Here's an influencer. From 2014 and still influencing. That is an influencer. The kind I want to be around.

III.

Why did I teach our children how to pick locks?

The bathroom used to be a temporary refuge, a place where I might be able to absorb ten pages of the lovely A Gentleman in Moscow*, or some such treasure, for a few uninterrupted minutes. 

Used to be.

*thank you for introducing me to this delightful read, my dear sister Meilani - and letting me borrow your copy for a great length of time. 

IV. 

The 2017 Korean zombie film Train to Busan isn't genre-busting or outright incredible. But the first half, or maybe two-thirds, is really great. Cramped, claustrophobic undead on a train trying to throat-rip the life out of every living being, while a small cadre of friends and enemies across social strata try to make their way, car by car, to safety. A little humor, a little social commentary, some great action pieces and suspense setups, and a slightly different take on zombie kinetic movements and reactions (spoiler: they're functionless in the dark). Enjoyed.

V. 

If I could choose for our children to be sick, or not sick, then I would prefer for them to not be sick.

And if they were sick, and I could choose for them to have lovely temperaments while sick, or not lovely temperaments while sick, then I would likely choose for them to have lovely temperaments.

Of course this is all theoretical. 

VI.

I will carry around the image of our eight-year old curled up on our purple couch, thumbing through a hardcover of The Iliad with a hint of self-conscious smile and barely hidden delight and wonderment.

My heart. 

A COMMA, NOT A PERIOD.

The first thing you'll probably notice is how well-composed this group selfie is.

That's because I took it, and I am very good at taking group selfies. My left arm, like that one foot of that one Daniel Day-Lewis character, is very dexterous and surprisingly lengthy.

The other thing you might notice is that the people contained within this frame do not appear happy. Or rather, joyful. There is not a song in these hearts, or if there is, it is likely a Black Heart Processional song, or maybe one of more Adele's more weepy ones, which would be pretty much anything she's ever sung.

My dear brother Jonny and his beloved, Meilani, are moving. At this point, they have moved. Rather, they have left; departed with a trailer full of mostly unnecessary belongings, and their bunny, to the locale of Toronto. Toronto, Canada. A 38-hour drive away, according to maps, which means probably 48 hours with a trailer, and 96 hours if there were children involved. There are not, unless they impregnate themselves along the way, which I have strongly urged them to do.

#stay warm

For many years, I have told my siblings:

I want you to be where you need to be. I always want you geographically close, but more importantly, I want you to be where you need to be, to follow your dreams and the path to achieving your dreams, and sometimes that means sacrifices that take you physically away from your family. But you gotta do it. 

And I will support those decisions even when they're painful. And this was so painful. And when I say was, what I mean is...is. Will be. I'm still in denial and it hasn't really sunk in yet. It will.

I don't know the number of times Jonny and I have talked on average per day for the last decade, and I don't know the average length of those different conversations, but they would be interesting numbers to analyze.

Little tiny talks, many many times, most frequently about mundane topics that have no introduction and no ending and generally conclude with abrupt:

Talk to you in five minutes.

Okay, love you, talk to you in four. 

Click.

Lots of little ones. Little, guilt-free, trivial conversations that have laid a bedrock for the occasional more substantive ones that deep-rooted relationships are built on.

It's so hard saying goodbye. I had to say goodbye to one of my other best friends several months ago, and her absence is still such a big hole. Now the hole's bigger.

#thatswhatshesaid #michaelscott Funny television to make me laugh even when I don't want to.

I've always been pretty good at making goals and finding little things to look forward to. I've lost some of that skill though. Trying to get it back.

It's a cliche that 'change is hard.' But I think the hardest kind of change to face is when everything seems to be changing around you and you want to change, but the brutal heel of reality makes the steps toward active change seem so difficult and almost impossible.

I do believe in that idea that you absorb the mores, attitudes, philosophies, etc. of the six people or so you spend the most time around. That's a powerful concept, and a lot to unwrap. The influence of those you're surrounded by.

Who will step in?

Or, who will I find to step in?

Or, will I wait for someone to step in, or will I charge ahead, facing change, finding the track back to dreams I've had, continuing to assist in others' actively along the way?

I hope that one. I'll try. It's hard, when you love someone so much to let them go and face their dreams. I wanna be a support system, a cheerleading squad; I wanna build the best thing possible from afar, and hope that it'll be near again soon.

There's not some big inspiring wrap-up to this. Change happens. You either flight it, fight it, or accept it. Or ignore it.

I'm proud of those who charge forward and make change happen. Thanks for being an influence on my life and others and carpe dieming the flipping lights out of life.

Anyway. All the love. Thanks ahead of time to the Postal Service, Pony Express, and FaceTime. And cheap airline tickets.

- Josef.

IN WHICH A THOUSAND TUBAS BLAST CHRISTMAS GOODNESS TO CHICAGO FROM PORTLAND.

When you can combine one of the greatest shows on earth (the annual Portland Tuba Christmas Fest, duh) with some of the greatest people on earth (pictured), then it's definitely an extrasuperspecial Christmasy day of celebration. Also, our son spotted both Bernie Sanders AND Matt Damon's brother in the crowd. He was positively certain on both counts. __ Pic: a kind woman named Alex - thanks! ____ #tubachristmas #portland #longx4 #mattdamonsbrother #ormaybenot

A post shared by Joseph Long (@josephivanlong) on Dec 10, 2016 at 11:44pm PST

THIS IS A POLITICAL POST.

This is a political post.

A photo posted by Joseph Long (@josephivanlong) on Mar 25, 2016 at 11:02pm PDT

TRIBUTE: Jonny & Meilani.

You two are like the wind beneath the wings of the world, except the world doesn't have wings. The world is held up by science, not wings. But if it had wings, you two would be like a hurricane - a gentle, ferocious, kind one - holding the world aloft, and occasionally hiccuping it around like Atlas. Except the world is not held up by Atlas either, and a wind in conjunction with wings would probably be too much for him to deal with. But if it was possible for the world to be held up by wings, and it wasn't too dangerous for there to be a strong yet cautious wind underneath those wings, then I would definitely think of the two of you as being the wind that would provide a breeze beneath those wings, which would certainly make the task of holding the world aloft with only wings a lot more comfortable, especially if the temperature was soaring, because a wind is nice when it's hot; it is important to be careful of thermal collisions that can happen with the wrong combination of heat and high winds, but overall I think it's possible to have a wind that could be very beneficial to the wings of the world, and if the world did have wings (it doesn't) then you two would be my choice to be it; given that you're humans and not wings (or wind; a fact I am glad for) I still feel that your presence in the world is a beneficial one, and one for which I personally am thankful for, like a cool wind on a hot day; I would caution however, about being a bitter wind on a cold day, or even a warm breeze on a hot day, as that can negate the positive aspects of having wind beneath your wings.

You are a sort of wind beneath our wings of the world (this is not completely literal; see above). Some birds cannot fly, but if they tried harder (or had the right wind) they probably could. And I would imagine if anybody could be the wind that would lift an ostrich into flight (or even the world) it would be the two of you. Thank you for being windy. Love you both, Meilani and Jonny. You're like the wind (see above).

Always,

Joseph

____

Go big or go home.
Unless you're already at home.
Then you can do both.
But you should probably go somewhere else away from home too,
because it's good to get out and travel.
I hear the bungee jumping is good in South Africa.

QUESTION: What is your soundtrack for this lovely Saturday / Shabbat morning?

Post by Joseph Long.

BOY WITH GIRL ON FLINTSTONE BICYCLE.

MT. VERNON.

Rainy Day Selfies

Desolation of The Prince Bride & Elves.

MEILANI #24

Steve, Colette, Meilani, Jonny / photo: joseph ivan long ©2013

I remember the first time I met her. At an ice skating rink. She was about fifteen.

Nine years later, and I am so glad she is my vivacious, mischievous, one-of-a-kind sister-in-law. What a great addition to the family.

Happy b-day, Meilani.

RETURNING FROM BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION (SEE ABOVE) TWO HOURS AFTER BEDTIME. WITH SCIMITAR AND GRANDFATHER.

PERSONS OF INTEREST.

FIVE SONGS I WILL ALWAYS ASSOCIATE WITH MY BROTHER JONNY.
1. Faithfully / Journey
2. I'll Be Your Shelter / Taylor Dayne
3. All My Life / K-Ci & JoJo
4. You're the Best / Joe Esposito (from the Karate Kid soundtrack)
5. Any power ballad that requires a voice able to reach the upper-upper octaves; a feat Jonny is usually willing to attempt in a sing-along. Respect.

Adorable, both.

Taking joy in living is a woman's best cosmetic. 
- Rosalind Russell, actress, who was also one of seven children.
____


(look at these people. man. they are beautiful. they must use the right cosmetic.) 

Merry, jolly, tuba-listening Christmas buddies.

The Unrestrictive Construction of Constrictors in Shopping Cart

In celebration of the holiday weekend,
his Mum gave him a drawing notebook,
one for the road, and he lost himself in it.

Frenetically, methodically constructing
narrative illustrations of aliens, backpack-wearing, tree-climbing bad guys,
and a constrictor.

The world passed him by,
and he was the sun.

Then we went inside and bought spinach.

PRINCIPIA MATHEMATICA.
Full-on bragging mode coming up: We were discussing mathematics and I asked my son what ONE PLUS ONE is...and guess what?!!

...he ALMOST got it correct!

Not even three years old, and he is already learning how to wildly guess with confidence.

Sniff.

QUESTION.
Sigourney Weaver in Aliens or Linda Hamilton in Terminator?

(No substituting your own mom)

Happy Mom's Day weekend kickoff! Thank goodness for strong women looking out for us.

MOM'S MUSIC.
Mother's Day weekend melody recommendations? Songs only (not albums or artists).

Tom Waits Long Way Home,
Nina Simone's Love Me or Leave Me,
Mates of State's Like U Crazy,
Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington's It Don't Mean a Thing,
Weezer's Don't Let Go, 
the Knife's You Take my Breath Away, and
Carole King's Beautiful

are the starting point. 

Thanks! Now go take yo mama an iced beverage.

MEADOW OF BERUNA.

"Go make yourselves useful in the forest,"

I said.

"Go work. Go build me a fortress."

Construction has commenced, but blades are dull and the distracting siren call of poisonous bugs is strong. I fear my forest dwelling is a distant dream.

SAD.

I don't remember if this was a garage sale or a moving day. There was just so much going on that I don't remember. But I sure miss having my little sister live closer.

So maybe it wasn't a garage sale.

QUESTION: Queen or Muse?

Jeremy L. 
Muse. Let the controversy begin:)

Sabrina C. 
Muse!

Lisa P.
BOTH. It is clear Muse was/is greatly influenced by Queen... Muse takes you many different directions, rocking your socks off one moment and bringing you to tears the next - they were the best show I've ever seen live. EVER. It was ridiculous.

Jeremy L. 
Well said, Lisa. Muse would not exist without Queen (or Zeppelin). And yes, their live show is nothing short of phenomenal. I'd give anything to see Freddie reincarnated!

Jaclyn A. 
"if you could be a Muse to The Pharaoh, you might be Queen..."

~Prince
One of my favorite songs from him of all time!

So I want both. 

...if there was a gun involved. ....Queen.

Bobby J. 
Judas Priest.

Joseph Long. 
Oh Bobby. Priest is a whole other conversation.

Lauryn M. 
I love Queen. Don't get me wrong. But my heart belongs to Muse.

Bobby J. 
Rocka Rolla is a flawless record.

Kelsey D. 
Queen

Josh P. 
Thank God we don't have to choose. 

Melissa Slaw. 
I'm with Josh Pryer on this one!

No, they are not playing live action Super Mario Brothers. Jonny popped by my class to give an excellent demonstration of his aerial photography skills (octocopter with Canon 5D Mark III: not pictured). Crazy cool. Stressful. Who looks more relaxed?

The End of Innocence (On a Street Corner, a Boy Watches as a Raindrop Plunges to Its Death and the Effect is Incalculable and Infinite).

The End of Innocence (On a Street Corner, a Boy Watches as a Raindrop Plunges to Its Death and the Effect is Incalculable and Infinite). //// April 4, 2013

____

The Sun Goes Down and the World Goes Dancing and the Sun Goes Up and the World Buys Groceries, and Love is Like Jazz in the Springtime.

MATES FOREVER.

Mates of State from their 2010 album Crushes (The Covers Mixtape)

Becca and I went on a double date last night to see Mates of State. With my brother Jonny and his fiancee Meilani (two weeks to go! :)

Mates of State is a husband-wife duo who have been together since 1997. Intensely romantic and danceable, counterpoint harmonies and trade-off vocals; a Lilliputian drum set next to his lanky frame, her short blonde bangs dancing away on keys. I started thinking, as I watched them frolic and and melody the night away…

…they've been together since '97; married since 2001. And you see Jason, thudding away on the skins, looking across stage, in full view of audience, at his wife and bandmate Kori. And smiling. Knowing full well they're performing. Middle of a public performance. But yet, the glances they slip each other have a spirited intimacy that feels occasionally like it's just the two of them; singing in their living room, for themselves. She, gleeful bouncing, almost-shyness; a self-conscious sincerity that rises above performance, grins back, head bobbing.

They look like they like each other.

How much of it is mythology? How much enjoyment of this performance do people get - do I get - from the backstory of them being together for 15 years and still being in love; still making music together?

If they divorced tomorrow, how would that affect their career? The mythology would not be there. 

You can't make something come true, necessarily, by pretending that it's true. But: I do believe that you can help perpetuate and reinforce, you can strengthen and help to create a mythology that turns to reality. 

If you don't start with a dream, then where do you have to go from there? 

Many people, when they're in love at the beginning, start with a dream, and then they listen to too many people. And they let other voices become louder than the person they were in love with. And they forget to hold hands and steal glances at each other in public. And that dream, that future mythology becomes today's sad reality. 

But sometimes - no, not sometimes: always: dreams need to be propped up. The bridge of reality is a tenuous one. Reality can change at any moment. It's not like reality is a rock-solid concept that is never-changing. Everybody has somebody they know who has gone through something tragic in a split second, where reality changes just like that (snap fingers). Reality is a fluid concept, and just like you Pavlov-reinforce character traits that you want to sustain by making them habits, you do the same thing with your most important relationships: 

You treat yourself with respect, and you will mirror that to others. You put yourself down, and you will create an image of yourself as somebody weak who will end up resenting others for being stronger. And you will be unable to pursue your dreams.

(next is the Rocky paragraph, and then I'm done with the archetypal inspirational stuff)

You look in the mirror, and you tell yourself: I am strong enough. I can do this. Whatever it may be. And you may have doubt; you may waver, but you remind yourself that you can. You never, ever say "I have the potential to do this." No: you say "I can do this." Even if you can't in the moment. You say it because you have to believe that it is possible. There is a time to be realistic; but there is also a time to say I am going to believe in this with everything and it is going to happen. And you make it happen. You set the foundation for success by believing first and foremost.  Then you put in the work. You keep the dream, and you work to keep the dream alive (I promise you, world: I will not make a horribly-designed inspirational photographic poster out of this :)

(unless it would be wildly popular and make me a lot of money, which is also a dream :)

You keep the dream alive; you prop the dream up sometimes by putting on a performance. That's not a bad thing. If your entire life is performance, that is probably a bad thing, where everything you do is entirely for other people's benefit. But when you reinforce reality with a dream, you have the opportunity to merge the two. Going back to Mates of State (who, incidentally, did play the Greatest Song Ever, For the Actor). Mates of State have been together a long time. They have a performance to put on, every time they tour. And their may be a merging of their public and their private world. They probably go on stage sometimes where they've been arguing, and have said mean things to each other, or maybe just not been very nice. And then they're on stage, and they have a show to put on. And part of that show is giving a performance that includes them as the lead characters. We love a romance; we love a love story. Great music + real life love story = rock star romance. Great story.

At this point, Jason & Kori's story may be interwoven into the fabric of both their reality and their stage personas. Maybe it's tough to know. There's an old Jewish custom - I do not remember any particular details, except for the main idea that for the first one or two weeks after marriage, the couple would spend each night at the residence of a different family member or friend, and the thinking was that it would reinforce the notion that their marriage was about more than just themselves; that by joining themselves together, their relationship transcended the two of them and was creating a web of relationships that once created, they would have no right to undo. Sort of like a positive guilt trip. 

The idea of spending my first couple weeks of marriage with any family members is kind of a rotten thought. But I do buy into that concept. A lot. That you owe other people something by virtue of the decision you made to be with somebody. That you create an accountability system that doesn't let you just, on a whim, decide that you're going to try something else, or try someone else out. You create a world where you are beholden to carry through on a promise you made. The beautiful thing is that by letting yourself trust other people enough to recognize that you just can't trust yourself in the moment, your life becomes not only more safe and secure, but it also offers, if you choose to accept that offer - the chance to float that dream aloft, higher and higher.

2007

To hold those dreams in the air and to remember that hey, there may be days where I'm putting on a performance, because I don't feel like being with this person right now. 

I imagine in a joint counseling session that Kori and Jason would acknowledge that there are days where they don't feel like being in the same room. Or the same house. Or the same stage with each other. I think that most, if not any married couple who has been together for a long time, can and should be able to say, without any sense of guilt Yeah, I need my space…sometimes I don't feel like being around you. That's okay. Sometimes you're together in the moment, even when you don't feel like it. Like Mates of State. They have created a world where they are accountable. Where they have a sort of compact with their fans, and by perpetuating that mythology, they have helped (I would think) to create a reality. The world needs more Mates of States. 

(And if they ever do split, this will be one of the saddest pieces I have ever written)

The multitude of gorgeous possibilities in every day with one person. A never-ending opportunity to be ceaselessly inventive and creative by virtue of that one choice. By virtue of being beholden and by choosing to be with that one person.

I am a strong believer in the importance of creative limitations; of the power in setting creative restrictions to help become a better artist so that you're not constantly having to make a million decisions. And being with someone is exactly like that. I don't wake up every day and wonder what person I should be with. I am with one person. And I have an unlimited reservoir of ideas and moments to build and share and invent with that person. That person that I chose to be with yesterday.

And today.

And tomorrow.

We will take our ideas and our voices (not quite in the blended harmonies of Mates :) and we will sail in our Zeppelin together through the seas, through the storms, through the skies, through the days and weeks, and sometimes we will do so alone with each other, and sometimes with many people surrounding. But always, we will look for those opportunities to steal a glance.

At each other.

That is meant for that one other person.

It may be intercepted by the world, and that's fine. Because the world needs to be inspired. And the world needs to see people in love.

Thank you, Mates of State.

We love you.

Mates of State
For the Actor
Bring It Back
2006

Norman

The Bee Told Me: A Full Weekend

Absolutely love these photographs of Magdelana.

The Bee Told Me: A Full Weekend

We Heart Jack

Starting to navigate around the old iMac, though her understanding of Javascript and Ajax are BASIC (to say the least). But she's learning. The important thing is that she not treat it casually, as just a "fun thing."

Of course the other important thing is that she remains disciplined about learning these life skills; that she not get overly comfortable just playing. She's over three years old! If she doesn't learn Chinese now, or small engine repair, or the constellations in Latin, or how to count to a billion, then how will she ever be happy? I mean successful?

An appointment with the pediatrician this afternoon. All did not go smoothly. There were needles, and intense levels of non-melodic voices in disharmony. Afterwards, I hustled Magdelana outside while Johanni finished up with Becca and the Doc.

Mags, what would help you feel better? I asked. 

Sob-shrieks.

Shall we take a walk? Do you want a cookie? Can I hold you?

Hiccup sobs.

Is there anything that would help you feel better?

Head lifts off my shoulder, slightly. Brushes damp hair off forehead. Can we listen to music in the car?

Of course, I said. Is there anything special you would like to listen to?

Chest heaving still, but heartbeat starting to slow, muffled tears receding, quivering voice. Do we have any Jack Johnson?

So we went to the car, and cranked Jack Johnson to 11, and chuckled as people peered in at the weirdos listening to Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer in September.

And when Becca and Johannes got in, we all chuckled even more, and came home and baked chocolate chip cookies.

What do you like to do?

I like to:

- sew, experimentally. which means I do not possess the discipline to use a pattern.

- talk about music, particularly with Jeremy, Meilani, Becca, and a few others I may list if they express discontent at not being on this list. right now I am loving Lightning Hopkins and Caravan Palace.

- drink coffee, alone, and with people. and in the morning, and the evening. and during the week, and on the weekends.
- make and take pictures.
- paint with Magdelana.
- read Jorges Luis Borges late on Friday nights when everyone is asleep, and there is little light, and no sound except Sigur Ros gently seesawing from the next room.
- read. right now I am finishing Bicycle Diaries by David Byrne. it is a terrific adventure memoir about his musings from around the world, as seen from his...bicycle.

- plagiarize Meilani's blog when she has good ideas, which is frequently.
- this is a good start. I am never bored, ever.

The Bee Told Me

Seriously, if you have not visited Meilani's blog, do so now.

It is humorous, and simple, and smart, and Zen.

I am glad Jonny found her. It is hard not to think of her as family already. It is hard, so I don't.