man in the mirror.

wow. i just took a jog down memory lane via some old posts. it's funny to see how life happens and how we respond to it in the moment. i doubt i could recall a lot of the events i blogged about now, but at the time they were pressing enough to publish.

i'm gonna try keep this thing going...we'll see how well i do. this semester has been odd...for someone who is an anti-hypochondriac, sickness has done quite a number on me these past few months. i got to hang out with some mononucleosis for about a month (no dad..i wasn't kissing anyone...) and got a sweet aftertaste of some strep throat, which i'm currently trying to kick. fatigue equals not my friend. it sucks. i'd rather have constant projectile vomitation, or even IBS. as long as i can stay awake. but thanks to drugs i'm gonna say "seeya" to sickness and tiredness.

what have i been up to for the past few months? i suppose the people that read this haven't heard much from me lately, and i lament that very much. i hope my next few posts can make up for a few months of absence. but i would like to dedicate this blog to someone very special, and someone i admire very much. sir michael jackson, the king of pop.

i remember exactly where i was when i learned of michael jackson's death. i was in jean's front yard, on 19 gillam way, attempting to start a weed wacker. it was then that my sister informed me of the death of perhaps one of my favorite singers. it was somewhat nice to mourn his death in alaska, apart from the media criticism. what a sad ending to a sad life.

upon my return to the lower 48, i learned of "this is it" - a documentary of michael's final tour. i marked my calendar for oct. 27th, anxiously awaiting the release.



i was finally able to see it last friday, and it far exceeded my already high expectations. he is truly the king of pop. not only are his songs timeless, his dancing has completely changed how the art form is projected. it would have no doubt been the most phenomenal tour of all time. and he died 8 days before it started. pure tragedy. (a quick taste):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yov4PcwJi18

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WK9Y9WjPTM&feature=related

if i may, i'd like to give my opinions on michael's life. which are purely opinion, and nothing else. take it or leave it. michael had a rough life. he was objectified from a young age and exposed to many things pre-teens should not be. he lacked the love that he so desperately needed (that we all need) from his father. but instead of displacing that love through a variety of harmful activities, he tried to recreate it. it can't look good to have young boys in your bed as a middle-aged man, but i can somewhat understand what michael was trying to do. take macaulay culkin for instance...that kid had the worst home life ever, his parents were terrible. i bet if you asked him, he probably appreciated michael's attempt to show him love.

am i saying mike's tactics are right? actually, i'm not saying that at all. what i am saying is...props for trying. none of us actually know what real love is. some of us have been lucky to have a taste...maybe in your salvation moment...but it's pretty hard to live in that love all of the time. so instead we seek that love elsewhere. and i think michael was doing just the same. if you catch the movie, you'll notice how many times he says "it's all for love". and maybe he did find true love before he died, in Christ. we may never know. but let us not criticize his attempt to find real, true love. because..isn't that..essentially..what we are all trying to do?

rest in peace, michael. thanks for the tunes.

- rach.