Thanks to all who've shown an interest in xugis.weebly.com. I sincerely appreciate the participation. Beginning today, the website will be down for a much-needed redesign. For those who read my blog, xog, I'll be publishing it on tumblr until the reconstruction is finished...
xogthesystem.tumblr.com
Here's to more xugis in 2012!
[slego]
1 Comment
 
 
9.11.11—Ten years... hardly seems like it. The last few days of constant media attention about the anniversary have been kind of surreal. Every television station has its own remembrance special, each with "newly-discovered" footage, or some such thing. I suspect I'm not the only person who doesn't need help remembering. I don't want to forget. And I won't. Our finest hour is still ahead of us—if we want it to be. [=

4 Comments
 
 
The ant races. It seemed like a portal to another dimension—maybe even the source of something wonderful. On a related note, the muse seems far away these days. Like, way out there. I don’t subscribe to the idea wholly, but I see its sensible appeal. I surely miss it. And its absence is really screwing with my mojo in a big, stupid way. It’s like that stuff they showed on TV when a network went off the air. Remember?
5 Comments
 
 
Picture
Ya know? I'm getting used to animals talking... at least to the many "non-real" animals that do, anyway. A lifetime of exposure to all manner of entertainment and other media has prepared me well for this coming 'pan-tolerant' age where animals that talk occupy the world's stage right next to humans. It's not weird or unsettling at all to me when these animals voice opinions, reveal secrets, seek to fulfill their desires, express preferences, have sex with humans or other species... I just seem to laugh right along with their anthro-antics.
I dare say, however, that if I, or any of us, was confronted with ANY animal that not only spoke but engaged us in discourse, we simply wouldn’t be able to handle it. Well, maybe those who recreationally use hallucinogens would be okay. The fact that we've become accustomed to having such a tolerance for animal pretend-speaking will surely be fodder for future studies of our age, if not some humorous anecdotal representations of us in that future's animation.
We were marveled in the time of animation's introduction by flat, crudely drawn characters mimicking some limited aspects of pop-culture from the early 20th century. The animated cartoon, replete with all kinds of "animoid" creatures, adapted itself to every media vehicle; from the funny pages to the silver screen to the television.
The animation industry, hyper-scrutinized and censored in its infancy, presented a fairly prescribed and myopic view of American life, best typified by Disney's Bambi and her boisterous (albeit vanilla) forest contemporaries. Most of what followed these works was a long, nauseating string of similarly subdued copycats. Then Looney Toons, Jungle Book, The Justice League, Tom & Jerry... and so on. Hats off to Fritz the Cat for pushing the envelope!
And then there was... Anime. Here, we're confronted with more quazi-anthro characters than one can shake Inu Yasha's sword at. (He’s a talking demon-animal, by the way.) Known early on as Japanime, anime’s various styles differed widely from anything Disney was making. Possibly the best, and most relevant, result of Anime's influence on how acclimated we've become to the integration of animals expressing themselves in our culture is the Neko phenomenon. Even the most basic Web inquiry for information on the subject will be richly rewarded.
We have all kinds of questions about how our species will survive. Consider the lifestyle differences we have with our predecessors. I suspect my Great-depression-surviving, WWII-fighting, American-infrastructure-building Booster grandparents wouldn't find much humor in the myriad animated, supposedly self-actualized animal characters that seem to dominate our culture as a whole today.
They might wonder why we spend a lot of our free time watching animals that talk to us, when we just keep finding ways to avoid spending much time talking to each other. I must admit I wonder this too, sometimes. But, I also really laugh my ass off every time I watch that episode of Family Guy where Brian (a dog), Stewie (a baby), and Frank Sinatra Jr. sing together. Because I also really like a freshly shaven leg... I can take or leave Alan Funt.
4 Comments
 
 
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” G. Santayana’s prophetic rejoinder is as germane today as it was in 1905. Willful ignorance of history’s persistence is no safe harbor, and tweaking it to save face is a fool’s game. That so many still try it is unsettling. Too bad. At least it’s easy to see it coming. Good thing you don't have to be a farmer to know the smell of shift. Believe that. [=

7 Comments
 
 
Life can be oddly pleasant, at times. One day, you might be driving down a familiar street with good friends, enjoying some new music—smiling a mile wide inside. Then, in the blink of an eye, it’s another lifetime in the future, and you find yourself cruising those now barely recognizable streets with two nieces... and a big smile. Thank you, Lizzie and Sarrah. Also, new music: “The Knife” and “Fever Ray”. Get it! [=

7 Comments
 
 
They say you can never go home. This is an odd adage, since we call the place we live home... a place where we can feel safe. Many regularly relocate; wherever they hang their hat is home. Over time, an old home becomes something we might not recognize. This is likely the reason for the adage. So, while we can’t really go back to a former home, we can return to that place, and, with any luck, find another home there.
5 Comments
 
 
Each human life has intrinsic value. Every one of us, even the worst, was once precious to someone. This veneration guarantees no clemency. As a whole, our society values justice, and punishes criminals. Many Americans serve their fellow citizens in the military, and sometimes they perish doing it. These acts deserve a societal acknowledgment, as well. How appropriate that we’ve set aside a day to honor their memory.
4 Comments
 
 
Okay. The so-called rapture came, and went, leaving most of humanity behind. Cool! We made it until, uh, whenever. Even better, there are no credential requirements for making those ridiculous predictions; anyone can give it a whirl. It doesn’t seem to matter AT ALL that not even one single such cataclysm has befallen our modern world. Nah. We’re all good. Besides... nothing bad ever happened from crying wolf, right?
3 Comments
 
 
Monday didn't have a clue. Tuesday and Wednesday, whoop-dee-do. Thursday was all jacked-up too. It's Friday, please don't shove. [=

L. Scott LeGault, 2011
4 Comments