Vodka?

I have had it my mind for quiet some time to dispense my opinion on the most primitive of spirits… Vodka. Vodka you say? Why yes, yes I do. Vodka is a crude and vile liquid, which can be made from grain, potatoes, soy beans, and/or pretty much just about any raw starch/sugar-rich plant matter. Perhaps one could even use a compost pile. Whether it is distilled and filtered once or seven times it has no distinctive aroma, character, colour or flavour (as desgnated as such by The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms). One might as well drink diluted rubbing alchoal because there is realy no deference between the two. This makes such a beverage, undeveloped, uncultured and classless, and perhaps those who drink it accordingly so. As is testament of the mass of bourgeoisie who race to tout their preference for the most expense vodka in there attempt to keep up with the Joneses’. They of course make clear their cultural inferiority, lack of taste (no pun intended) and ignorance.

The vodka craze can be traced to that most pompous of characters James Bond (damn him), and his vodka-martinis. Any true Englishman would know better and of course drink England’s national spirit, gin. Now, when one approaches the bar to call for a martini they must specifically state a gin-martini or face the horrific catastrophe of receiving a vodka-martini. Oh how times have changed. Of course Hollywood is truly to blame, them and their fern drinks, but I digress.

As the bourgeois sip there vulgar vodka base mixed drinks, (not proper cocktails and for those that do not know, yes there is deference between mixed drinks and cocktails) it is most interesting to note the special 20/20 had on Vodka. They took six Manhattan bar going supposed aficionados who thought they knew their drink of choice, vodka, and gave them a taste test to see if they could pick their favorite and rank them in order of favorable taste. Several house and top shelf brands were supplied. Not surprisingly, all six tasters failed to identify their favorite brand. They had also ranked some ‘premium’ brands as the worst of the shots they were given. The title Premium Vodka is some what of an oxymoron as most vodka is essentially the same. They must mean premium in price only.

All that vodka boils down to (again, no pun intended) is marketing hype. It is a competition of who has the pretiest label, how much exposure that label gets, how high they can price it, and how many fools they can con in to buying it.

In effect vodka is simply, unrefined, as are most people who drink it.

There are however exceptions to the rule. The only proper way to partake of vodka is if; A. if it is of reputable slavic orgin, B. if it traditional Yubileynaya (jubilee vodka) or Pertsovka (pepper vodka) or other fruit/vegetable infusion, and most importantly C. served neat. And to all, who stay with tradition, I say Na zdorovia!

One should also note, I am not above producing my own label of vodka for market.

Gender Roles

I loath gender roles. Perhaps in some archaic past they served a purpose, what that purpose is? I am not entirely sure of, but in the present day they serve no purpose. They only divide us, limit us, and cause ill judgment.

Society assigns us these roles that we are continually suppose to portray. They do not allow us to explore/experience and express all there is. By this they hinder our growth as sentient beings. Why should I have to be expected to look and behave a certain manner because I was born with certain physical characteristics? These physical attributes don’t define the majority of who I am and what I will become. Why should I or anyone be limited by some one else’s expectation when it does not truly affect them?

So what do I do, well it would seem that I break them but on the contrary I simply refuse to accept them. Occasionally I will portray the gender role that has been assigned to me for one reason or another, but it feels unnatural and restrictive. I would rather create my own role which I usually do. From time to time some one will use the word androgynous to describe me. This would imply that I blend female and male characteristics. Yet these characteristics that have been assigned to females and males are not truly masculine or feminine, they are with out sex and are poor generalization if anything. But again I refuse these roles and the characteristics that have been I assigned to them, for nothing but the human body is female or male.

Make-up is a perfect example of a characteristic that has been delegated to a certain sex. Make-up and its general use are accepted by society for use for females. There is of course the exception of specialty use by males for entertainment, etc, but for general use of make-up on a daily bases by males such as the use by females would be a faux pas in our society. Now make-up can not procreate, so there for has no sex and as such should not be delegated to a certain sex. Make-up is simply a tool for expression. It is used to create beauty (and occasional ugliness). One can create looks of freshness, seductiveness, mysteriousness, edginess, toughness and so on. These looks evoke feelings that we should all experience and express regardless of our sex. These emotions and all emotions are sexless as well and also should not be assigned or characterized to one sex, but some how society has been lead astray and have decided to place certain emotion with certain sexes, again limiting us from our true potential.

This all brings me to the point of illusions and judgment. I have been called on more then one occasion ‘feminine’ (Usually as a result of my appearance on Saturday evenings when I create visual artistry with my personal image (occasionally using make-up)). I am however hardly ‘feminine’ by society’s conventional standards with regards to personality, mannerisms and such. (I am able to view society from society’s point of view). If we used such standards I would be more often then not masculine (unfortunately). Sometimes I am hard/tough and sometimes soft/meek. (Again, feelings that society has taken upon it self to assign to specific sexes) .Also interesting to note some key players through history such as Queen Elizabeth I, Jesus Christ, Hatshepsut, and Gautama Buddha would have broke gender roles by today’s standards and did for there time, but I digress. My goal is to achieve neutrality and balance in my life when it comes to these emotions and feelings, but one must experience and express them all to get to that point.

My look is simply an illusion as all our bodies our too what truly lies beneath. Gender roles try to define who we are but they can not. They are an illusion as well, an act if you will that have become part of so many like trained dogs. Gender roles will not keep me from experiencing and expressing what I need to. There are no limits but those you set before you.

Never Judge A Book By Its Cover

‘Never judge a book by its cover’. It seems as if this lesson is not being taught to my generation and perhaps one or two generations before mine, for worse or for better. Its amazing how so many people judge me by the way I look from one night of the week, “If only they knew”.

If only they knew that I usually only dress the way I do at the end of the week (usually on Saturdays) because the rest of the week I dress in gym clothes or most of the time pajamas and an old t-shirt with holes and old stains, after all my office is at home (What a great perk uh?). I wear what I wear on Saturdays because I feel the need to compensate on the weekend for the lack of attire I wear the rest of the week. Since I normally only go out about town one night a week I really feel that need to balance the situation out.

Another part of the reason I do what I do is my need to create/to express. After all I am an artist/entertainer, so naturally am attracted to or design that which is a little more out side the line of current society’s taste/fashion. But if they saw me the rest of the week, boy would they be surprised.

I can walk the middle of the road and dress mediocre like every one else and more often then not I do. Whither it is for the rare occasion that I need to step out side the house for work, which does not involve a gig, or because I just can’t make the time at the moment to put more effort in to design that I would like too (As all should know my favorite part of going out (Again usually only on Saturdays unless I’m on vacation) is getting ready and all dolled up, but again it is time consuming to design).

But when I come across people on those certain days that I am all dressed to the nines, I do wonder sometimes from there reluctant-ness do they think I some weirdo or that I dress like this every day of the week? (Good Lord would that take some serious work, perhaps one day I will have the opportunity to do as such). They must because I usually get shunned in some way or another (Only by those without artistic inclinations, which happen to be most people). But perhaps this is really a benefit to me, to weed out those of a lesser quality (Those who are judgmental, I have found that those I keep in my present circle are of exceptional quality and I am very thankful for them). I could be more standard in my appearances and there for more engaging to the masses. I will not however, because the need to express myself in this particular way and that joy to create is much greater then that joy which I might receive from those that would open up only to that which they are accustomed too(And damn, it’s only one night a week (at this point)). So to those I say…judge, and try to limit those whom you judge, but be wary that you will soon find you only limit yourself with your judgments. As for me, I will continue to weed the garden set before me.

Personal Income & MySpace

It is tacky to display how much you make on Myspace. Ones personal finances should be undisclosed unless running for politics.

Comment On Fun

If you can’t have fun alone, you sure as hell can’t have fun with anyone else.