Month: August 2021

My Second Creative Track Will Be Photography


by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

It has occurred to me that it sure would be nice to know how to use a prosumer Nikon camera. So, as such, that’s my goal. I’m going to save up for a while I then buy a really nice Nikon camera — probably something like a Nikon 750 — and then throw myself into learning how to use it properly.

I do this for a number of reasons.

One, I honestly don’t have anything to take pictures of at the moment, so there’s no rush to buy just A Camera. So, I can take my time and save up the money necessary to buy A Great Camera.

Also, photography is something I’m natively good at. The main issue is buying and learning the equipment. With writing, I love doing it, yes, (Sorry Fran Lebowitz) but I’m more of a storyteller than writer. I love how a great photo is self-evidently great.

And, in a sense, it’s a lot easier to have photography as a second creative track because it’s a different skill and it’s easier to use a different part of my mind than it is it to, say, using writing in two different ways. (Though, I still have an acute interest in in screenwriting.)

But all of this is long term. Something could easily happen to cause it to all fall a part. If you don’t like me doing this with my life, you can fuck off — you have no vision and why are you reading my blog in the first place?

The Big Problems With Modern American Politics

  1. Compromise Is Weakness
    This is a very corrosive development that has caused the effective death of American politics, full stop. When you realize that any effort at political comity is a waste of time, then, lulz, what’s the point of talking about politics in the first place. When you realize that any political debate will turn in a screaming match, what’s the point?
  2. Conservatives Have Permission Structure To Be MAGA
    Even bedrock conservatives who claim to not like the excesses of MAGA vote for MAGA now on a regular basis. They have an extensive permission structure to vote for MAGA — and, soon, Trump without Trump — and so the rise of fascism in the United States is now an immutable law of American political history –we’re fucked.
  3. Systemic Republican Radicalization
    On a basic, systemic basis, the Republican Party is growing ever-more radical to the point that by 2024 white nationalism and political violence will be seen as a lulz. They will do whatever necessary to take and keep power forever. Prove me wrong, people who think I’m “hysterical” with my “doom shit.” What do I get if I’m right? A prize? Or a bullet in the back of the head from a ICE agent. If you “play by the rules” and are a Good German, you have nothing to worry about. But I’m a loudmouth who will never shut up about what a fucking cocksucker the autocratic of the moment is, so….I might have a little bit more to worry about then the “personal responsibility” rule followers who everyone seems to love?
  4. Negative Polarization is All-Powerful
    As part of the aforementioned permission structure, negative polarization is so all powerful now that it’s impossible to make common cause with conservatives who claim they aren’t MAGA. What they don’t like is Trump — they love MAGA to the point that they totally embrace the “cruelty is the point” nature of the movement in general. I think this is the main difference between MAGA and the New Right.
  5. Personal Political Interactions Have Broken Down
    I’ve completely stopped talking about politics with my far more conservative relatives because the risk that either they’re freak out on me or we’ll start screaming at each other is too high. This. Is. Not. Good. This is how the “bad guys” win. You’re just a brief jaunt away from a civil war if your individual, personal politics have locked up that much.

Is Tik-Tok Fucking With Me?


by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

Now, let me be clear — I do not believe either that Tik-Tok can read our minds nor that it is somehow doing a primitive form of “inception” on us. But I have an extremely — and I mean EXTREMELY — active imagination, so you got posts like this.

So, there I was, thinking I had Tik-Tok all figured out. If it was reading our minds, I had set-up just the type of situation whereby I could test this theory and see what happened.

And then nothing happened.

And THEN, I thought about something. In the days leading up to me having something of an ah-ha moment about photography, I was being pushed EXTREMELY specific videos on Tik-Tok about photography. Or, more specifically, how really great photos were actually produced.

So, when I had an ah-ha moment about buying a prosumer camera in the coming months with my camera in my lap, I thought I had a “gotcha moment” setup for Tik-Tok.

Now, however, I’m beginning to grow more concerned, in a way. What if very nature of how we imagine our minds, relative to how Tik-Tok sees it — is all wrong. Our conscious mind doesn’t float on our subconscious, it’s all one big thing that Tik-Tok can root around at well.

So, this theory goes, by the time I had my “ah-ha” moment about buying a prosumer camera, Tik-Tok had already moved on. I wasn’t influencing Tik-Tok, it was influencing me.

The only reason why any of this matters is I hate being manipulated in the extreme. So, even the bonkers, totally-not-real idea that Tik-Tok is rooting around in my mind — even though it’s not happening — is enough to make me angry that it’s POSSIBLE that it’s real.

If you look at things this new way, it’s just not something you can test. How do you test if someone is reading your mind if all they know you so well that all they have to do is subtly ping you photos and your mind takes care of the rest.

So, I dunno. Tik-Tok is probably going to continue to use its algorithms in a way that spooks me and I will have absolutely no way to prove anything one way or another.

Now what.

Don’t Worry Paul Gosar, By 2024 *ALL* Republicans Will Identify As White Nationalists


by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

For some reason Rep. Paul Gosar has flipped out on Twitter because someone alleged that he’s a white nationalist. Given where the Republican Party is going at the moment, his freak out on this subject is very strange indeed.

It’s easy imagine a Republican Party by 2024 that IS white nationalist. Maybe because of how loaded the term is they will still get upset when someone calls them white nationalists, but everything they believe will BE white nationalist. The party is already there, in a sense with its embrace of “replacement theory” and it’s only going to get worse.

I guess, maybe Gosar wanted to make an example of someone so people would shut up about his connections to white nationalism. But by 2024 the Republican Party is going to be a full-on white nationalist fascist party. To be a Republican will mean to be a white nationalist.

So, lulz?

What Would Happen If China Attempted To Take Taiwan?


by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

The United States is historically divided and, as such, it’s easy to imagine the Chinese seeing this and attempting to take Taiwan. They’re a rising power and usually it’s at times like these that historic miscalculations are made.

I say “miscalculation” because while the United States is VERY divided, I still think if something as huge as a huge regional war broke out we would — eventually — get our shit together and address the issue. What would probably happen is it would be a huge shitshow.

Unless the United States simply lulzed the whole thing and left Taiwan on its own — which it would not — China would have to take Taiwan as part of a huge first strike. We’re talking days or weeks.

Given how Taiwan has been preparing for this very thing for decades, that just wouldn’t happen. China’s best bet is to get the DPRK to commit geopolitical suicide by attacking the south in a big way to distract the United States from what was going on with China and Taiwan.

Something as big as a war between China and Taiwan would so consume the American media world that it would, in fact, unite the nation. Yes, a sizable portion of the electorate hates Biden enough that they would rather let China win a war with Taiwan than let Biden look good, that’s just a small, vocal minority.

So, what would probably happen is Japan, the United States, South Korea and NATO would throw military supplies at Taiwan. The whole thing would become a pitched battle to the point that China would either risk blowing the fucking world up or they would give up.

But what do I know.

All Systems Go With This Four Novel Series


by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

I know things are going well with this first novel in the four novel series because I’ve just about worn myself down when it comes to all these arbitrary writing “laws” I’ve come up with. Some of them are so dumb and are so getting in the way — and I’m enjoying writing again so much — that I’m just about to ditch them just so I can finish something, anything.

Everything — at the moment — is humming along.

It just that writing a novel with the high standards I have is extremely time intensive. It just takes time to get to the point where you can write a scene without worrying that the whole plot will collapse because of this or that dumb thing you didn’t think about.

But, again, things are going well. I’m throwing everything I have creatively at this first novel in the series. I just have to, like, allow myself to write shit for the first draft so something gets done sooner rather than later.

‘Gawker’ — #Lyrics To A #Pop #Rock #Song

Just screwing around. This is meant to be the same vibe as Phoebe Bridgers.

Gawker
lyrics by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner
Please give credit if you produce or perform

I’m just a gawker
that’s right don’t do much
in my own right
but sit back and gawk
as time walks on by
don’t do much but gawk

I’m just a gawker
I’m just a gawker
I’m just a gawker

when you’re a gawker like me
people don’t just stare they flee
don’t know what to do or say
with someone who stands and mopes
at the fate that life has wrote

I’m just a gawker
I’m just a gawker
I’m just a gawker

(bridge)
I wish action was my name
wish I was involved in the world
and yet that would be too much
for my poor old heart to take
so I just gawk

I’m just a gawker
I’m just a gawker
I’m just a gawker

‘Sucker’ — #lyrics To A #Pop #Rock #Song


I’m just screwing around with telling stories in the form of lyrics because I’m drunk enough not to care that these words will never, ever become a song anyone sings. I just need to vent. Enjoy.
Sucker
Lyrics by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner
please give credit if you produce or perform

I’m so drunk
that I need another look
maybe I’m a sucker
but I know you’re a looker
you fill my sight
with dreams of delight.
you can just call me a sucker
sucker
sucker
sucker

I try to tell you I love you
but you won’t even hold me
I look around with despair
wondering if you’ll ever be near
but I’m just a sucker
the type that you think is a fool
but we all know I rule
I may be drunk
but I’m no
sucker
sucker
sucker
sucker

(bridge)
swallow what you can
cause you know I’m your man
just give me a op-or-tun-ity
to show you my style
it will drive you wild
just don’t call me a

sucker
sucker
sucker
sucker
sucker

The Development Of My Four Novel Series Is Going Well


by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

I’m really throwing myself at this series. I’m have a very specific, methodical method of working up to the actual writing of each individual scene. I do so much work before I sit down to write a scene at this point that hopefully — hopefully — things won’t fall apart like they have so often in the last.

At least, that’s the goal.

I have four novels to write and I can’t spin my creative wheels forever. There comes a point where I have to put up or shut up.

But I’m taking a moment or two break so when I throw myself at writing again I will look at my scene development with fresh eyes. It’s taken me so long to figure out how to get to this point.

It’s interesting how Trump leaving office after I absolutely expected him to steal the election forced me to change my gameplan for the novels I was working on. What was just two novels became four.

Wish me luck.