Funny face.

Dear Internet,

I have decided to begin a new collection.

Here’s what I’m going to do: Every day I am going to take a picture of myself making a funny face and then post it on here. Don’t ask me why I’m doing this, because I’m really not sure. But at this moment in time it feels like a good idea, so here I go!

Face one:

Fleeting horizon.

Dear Internet,

I caught a glimpse of the horizon today. That sounds stupid but it was the first phrase that popped into my head when it happened, so I’m using it. It was a fleeting glimpse, but I was able to make out a few details off in the distance. It’s occasions like these when I think that maybe things aren’t as bad as they seem. Maybe I am too hard on myself. Maybe there’s hope for me just yet.

Maybe.

Nice guys finish last.

Dear Internet,

I realized something about myself today. I’m a very nice guy. I’m very forgiving and understanding and that’s where I went wrong. People find it very easy to walk on top of me. I’m frequently taken advantage of, or disregarded entirely. But of course I don’t get upset. I shrug my shoulders and let it wash over me. It’s like I can’t get angry at anyone. My circuits are wired wrong or something.

For a very long time I’ve had two very close friends that I turn to whenever I feel less than great (which is frequently). Very recently things have been turned upside down. Lies have been told and trust has been shattered and I’m really not sure why any of this is happening.

But I’m not mad. Of course not. I just take it like a wimp. I’m more hurt than anything. As I found out what had transpired my lip started to quiver like a little girl. Pathetic. I felt as though the softest, squishiest part of my heart had been violently stabbed.

That’s very dramatic, please forgive me. Obviously things are not that bad. I am only a silly teenager. What do I know of pain and heartache? Not much, I can tell you that. But I do know some. I’ve offered nothing but honesty and understanding, and I’ve consistently worn my heart on my sleeve.

I guess I was an easy target.

I think it’s the weather.

Dear Internet,

I was thinking about this project and I happened upon another idea. I thought that maybe instead of using audio, I could draw the text in such a way so as to suggest the vocal inflections originally inserted by the speaker. You know, sort of like the onomatopoeia in comic books. I just don’t see how I could get sufficient recordings of these quotes. I mean, even if I were to recruit people to read them, I don’t think they would turn out as well as I remember them.

So here are some examples of what I’m talking about:

So this is kind of what I’m talking about. I don’t know, maybe I’ll scrap the idea altogether.

I had another idea in which I would recreate the overall feel of what was said using various sound effects. That’s a very broad idea, so give me a day or two to fine-tune it. Maybe I could even accompany that with a video of some sort? Or maybe that’s not necessary. It might be kind of cool to have lines and squiggles react to the sound effects. Then again, this is due next week. Time is of the essence and I’ve got a lot of big ideas. And hey, what if I printed the quotes onto note cards and had each person in my class read one of them? This would get the audience to interact with my collection and make something entirely new out of it.

I feel like I got hit with a wave of new information today, so please excuse my lack of a conclusion to this post.

Visual, but also acoustic.

Dear Internet,

I realized that I was going about this collection project the wrong way. I was sure that a book was the best way to visually represent my collection, and I still believe that to be the case. But I failed to consider other methods of presentation beyond the visual level. I’m working with what were once spoken words, here. And it’s seems painfully obvious now, but of course these could be easily integrated into a presentation that is audio-based.

Now of course that opens up about a million doors, each leading to about a hundred different directions I could go with this. And I’ve got a few ideas, but I’ll refrain from writing them here until my plan of action is a little more solid.

Oh, and I had something on my mind today that really bugged me. Do you know what’s the worst? No, not that. I’ll tell you. Socks. There are never an even number of socks, and I just don’t get it. You know what I’m talking about. After pairing socks that were freshly plucked from the dryer this morning, I found that there was one lonely sock left over. And there’s always one sock left over. Where do they go? I just don’t understand this. I don’t think I’ve ever worn just one sock. As far as I know, socks usually come in pairs. You wear them in pairs, you wash them in pairs, and you put them into the drawer in pairs. So then where does this lone sock come from?

Yes, I actually thought about this all day long. And you know what? I’m probably going to have some sort of weird sock-related dream. Or maybe even a weird sock-related nightmare.

Talk to me.

Dear Internet,

I’m still having a considerable amount of difficulty in figuring out how else I can present this collection. A book seems to be the only sensible way to do it, and I think that presenting this collection in any other way would seem forced. Basically, at this point I’m just waiting for that eureka moment to arrive. And it can’t come a moment too soon.

But hey, I’m willing to take suggestions! You’ve read my other posts, you know what this project is about. So hit me with some fresh ideas, please! Leave a comment and help me out. Even bad ideas are greatly appreciated.

This is a very short post.

Dear Internet,

I thought I’d take a moment to let you know how my collection project is coming along. I collected two quotes from some particularly noisy people on the train today, one of which even included profanity. That’s right, profanity.

I know, I couldn’t believe it either.

I can’t sleep so I’m writing this instead.

Dear Internet,

I can’t sleep. Tell me a story.

Anyway I did some thinking about this collection project as I was waiting for sleep to come, and I decided to draw a little mock-up to show you what the finished product might look like.

That’s right, this is an actual quote that I overheard on the train. Shocking, isn’t it? Anyway this is what my collection would look like in book-form. The quotation would be presented on the left, while the illustration would sit on the right. Pretty simple. Oh, and obviously the illustrations would be much nicer than the one above, which I drew in about five seconds. It’s just meant to be an example, calm down!

Is this a good idea? I really think that a finished book of quotes done like this would make for a very entertaining read. But I’m having a little bit of difficulty deciding how else to present this collection. I initially imagined it as a book, which I think is the best way to present it; the way it was meant to be. Now how do I top that?

Cover your ears.

Dear Internet,

Shame on me, I skipped a day. I know, I know. I’ll go and stand in the corner just as soon as I finish this post. Promise.

And shame on me again, I failed to collect a single quote over the weekend! Therefore the report on my collection project is rather lacking. I didn’t get anywhere. Sorry about that one, guys. I know you’re all sitting on pins and needles, anxiously awaiting the newest juicy details from my project. Those delectable, succulent morsels of detail. Can you tell I’m a little hungry? My apologies, I’ll try to stay on topic.

So yes, that was my collection report. To make up for my lack of information, I’ve prepared a little treat for you all. Yes, that’s right! Just for you, my faithful readers. It’s not edible, mind you, but I think you’ll like it anyway.

You know, since I’m on the verge of becoming a world-famous folk singer, I figured I should probably hurry up and make the cover for my debut album. Yep, you saw it here first, folks.

That’s all I’ve got to say for now.

The sky was gray today.

Dear Internet,

I’ve been listening in on people’s conversations throughout the past few days, and it’s harder to collect quotes than you’d think. Especially on the train, where the white noise of the train erases all of the other sounds. In other words it’s easy to hear people talking, but it’s very difficult to make out anything they’re saying. As a result I’ve only got a few choice phrases right now, but I think I like it better that way. I think that maybe a sentence or two is all I need; just enough to get the attitude of the speaker across, or the gist of the situation. I passed by a homeless man shouting at people on the street today. That’s the kind of stuff that I wish I’d pass by more often. Anyway I’ve got ten quotes so far. I’m sure you’re probably tired of reading about this, so I’ll move on to something else.

Today was a sad and gloomy day. Don’t ask me why. Wait, please ask me why. I need to feel like you care. Alright I’ll tell you, but only since you asked so nicely. I suppose I feel almost like there isn’t anyone that I can turn to at this point. I really don’t have any close friends, you see. I thought I did for many many years, but over the course of the past few days I’ve grown less sure. And unfortunately the one person with whom I feel a positive connection with is simply out of the question for reasons I really don’t care to discuss at the moment (but maybe if you stick around I’ll tell you another time).

I think there is something inherently wrong with me. But I hesitate to talk about this subject because of the risk of sounding melodramatic. It’s easy to write paragraphs upon paragraphs that sound very “woe-is-me”, but that’s not what I’m trying to do, I swear! I’m only articulating my thoughts here.

On second thought, just forget it. This is something I’ve got to deal with internally. I’ll write about it once I’ve gained a better understanding of it. Right now I’m having a lot of trouble verbalizing my current sentiments.