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UnionZac
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Name: Zachary
Country: United States
State: Tennessee
Metro: Nashville
Birthday: 5/4/1982
Gender: Male
Interests: Wandering the streets of London (once upon a time). Getting the crap kicked out of me by music. Playing shows. Conversaciones de los politcos.
Expertise: i'm a zac of all trades.
Message: message meEmail: email me
AIM:  ThenZacSays
Member Since:
10/8/2002
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| I am really thankful for technology. I do believe its incredible that just 10 or so years ago, if you could get a an image 600x400 pixels to load in a minute or two that was incredible. IM'ing is literally how I learned to type. I love Luis CK's bit on how incredible the world is, yet we are unhappy. We are now entering (for the last few years) the web 2.0 world* of blogs, and facebook, and skype and twitter where people are just a click away in seemingly personal ways... like for instance whatever I've written in past entries but couldn't be asked to go back and review. Well as I've said before, I'm greatful for this revolution of technology, but like all movements of progress their are some casualities. I think one of those casualties is in what we perceive as connecting.
I made a commitment, or perhaps a resolution at some point last year** to stay in better contact with my family. To call my parents, 3 brothers, and my sister more often. In all honesty, I've done a poor job. I haven't connected.
Of late the craze everyone seems to be fixated by, one which I was first alerted to by the Bas***, is Twitter. I've gotta say as much as I love writing some bizzare status update on my facebook, I hate the concept of Twitter. Twitter's sole purpose is to allow us to update everyone we know constantly about whatever we deem worth sharing****. Not sharing our ideas, or some exciting that took place or a great picture we took. Nope just, "getting some groceries" or "so hungover". The reason that I take issue with this isn't that I don't believe in enjoying the mundane pleasures of being human*****, but rather that we evolve as a society and I question the road Twitter leads us down. For example; when I moved to college at 18, 3000 miles from everything I knew or that made sense I did just fine with a calling card. Nowadays if I go down the street to grab some coffee and forget my cell phone, I feel strangely incomplete and unarmed. What this tells me, is that I have become increasingly dependant on a technology I once did fine without. Twitter chips away at our sense of what it is to connect with a person and to disconnect from people altogether. It takes the requirement of diligence out of relationships. It makes it near impossible get alone to clear our head of the goings-on of random people. It moves everything to the middle.
Without a doubt the argument can be made that this same attack on the way people communicate may have been written in a newspaper somewhere 7 years ago about these crazy things called weblogs. And no doubt it is a somewhat pointless attempt to stand in the gate as technology marches on. For my own part though, I hope to heed my own warning and reinvest in the relationships I value, where all too often I settle for a status update.
*I learned that's what their calling the internets these days at web seminar I was compelled to attend at Vanderbilt
**not on nye, those kind feel pointless and contrived
***getting props for knowing about hip stuff first is worth a lot of street cred as you know
****but probably isn't
*****and a hell of dancer
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| Yesterday Bridget and I made the 3 hour drive from Nashville, to Knoxville to finally see The Duke Spirit, and equally importantly catch up with my friend Olly. Olly was a roommate of mine when I lived in the UK, where this blog began. For the last couple of years his band has been touring the states, but for one reason or another we haven't been in the same part of the country at the same time up until now.
I have to admit part of me felt some reservation about meeting up. Primarily because we really haven't seen each other in 5 years, which multiple times a greater time span than I actually lived in London. My apprehension being that idea that "you can't go back" and that it would just be that awkward feeling of being around someone when your lives have taken divergent paths, and theres really nothing there but memories. Much to my satisfaction, this was not the case.
My second worry was that a feeling would surface in me that has shown its ugly head in the recent past. Recently another friend and time to time band mate's band has become quite succesful and is currently touring all over the world... and even being featured in promo spots on MTV and all over top40 radio. A constant reminder of where I am, and am not. To be clear, this feeling is not jealousy. I think it would be hard to make a case that I ever begrudged any of my friends the success they've achieved. To the contrary I've always held that if one of us succeeds it benefits all of us. Its more a feeling turned inward of resentment toward my own situation... which is largely my own creation, and from time to time, a point of tension for myself. As we made our ways through the rolling hills of the appalachian plateau I knew that this was not a state of thinking that I wanted to be in, or really have any part of.
Again, I found that this fear was largely unfounded. As we sat in the bar next door recounting old times, and sharing updates of life as it is now, I was met with a warm feeling of contentment, and even appreciation; appreciation of the extraordinary people I have had the chance to know, and of the "adventures" that my life has been witness to. It was quite a good state to be in.
The album is called "Neptune," the band is The Duke Spirit. Go out and buy it.
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| I'm annoying my coworkers right now by playing "Nessun Dorma" as sung by Aretha Franklin. Its not meant to be intentionally annoying, but one cold hard fact I've come to realize is that in almost every office I've ever worked in my taste in music makes me something of a sonic leper. For some reason Radiohead's latest opus, or some jingly jangly Wilco song never seems to connect with people the same way that Fergie and Bon Jovi do. I really think its probably an ease and familiarity thing. In some way I suppose its a tribute to the power of music that people don't want to have their day interupted by something that requires so much of them to understand. Or maybe they just think its noise.
Last week I asked for a raise. This is really the first time in my working life that I've had to do that before. I asked for more money once when I was temping, but basically that was just asking for a few dollars more of the twenty or so dollars that the company was already paying my agency, for each hour I was there. This was different. Project Opportunity http://www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/projectopportunity is a grant funded organization, which essentially means things are really tight... and right now its budget season. So I sat down and wrote a fairly long letter about all of the reasons I felt I do indeed deserve a raise, and prepared to present this to my boss, and her supervisor. I'm not gonna lie, this whole process was nerve racking; there is something about having to prove to someone you work with regularly that you're actually worth more that just shakes you to your core (especially when you know the outcome will not be some sort of big financial boon). Well budget week is over, and I should be hearing soon. Even if they go along with it, the nature of our funding means no increase of pay until July. I think ultimately it just re-affirms my desire to be out on the road once more.
Speaking of the road (segue!), if you haven't read it yet, go pick up Cormac McCarthy's "The Road" its excellent. He is the same author of "No Country For Old Men" which I haven't read yet, but lets face it, the movie was brilliant. McCarthy paints an image so bleak a world completely with in the realm of possibility in our life time, and still masterfully tempers it with the wonder and horror of what it means to be human. Check it out.
Finally... as I'm not blogging much these days. I would like to officially announce that I'm throwing my lot in with Barack Obama in '08.. don't be fooled by my myspace headline, I don't actually want the Ghost of Ronald Regan/Jack Bauer.
PS as of about a minute after writing this... I got my raise!
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| yuletide or yuletine? (or jul_ _ _ _) | | |
| I've become a terrible musician. Without realizing it I became sloppy, my ear got weak, and my instincts have been dulled from lack of exercise. I am no longer natural. This place is a vice grip threatening to strangle any sense of ambition, or opportunity I may have believed in. I don't connect here, I just bob in the water, I've been set totally adrift in my own life. Its looking pretty bleak for our intrepid hero.
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