You are currently browsing the monthly archive for June, 2007.
It’s been awhile since we’ve featured any poetry so here is a poem called Beethoven, written and performed by the one and only Shane Koyczan – a Canadian poet, wordsmith, musician, humourist, observer, story teller, and all around amazing artist.
Koyczan also belongs to a couple of performance ensembles called: Shane Koyczan and the Short Story Long , we like Atlantis, and Tons Of Fun University (T.O.F.U.), try Static – the styles are quite different but the passion conveyed throughout all his works is inspiring.
For more of Koyczan’s poems, look for his book, Visiting Hours, which is a collection of some of his poetry.
(When did we become an aggregator of random youtube videos? You must admit, this Shane fellow is pretty darn awesome.)
This news clip isn’t the most timely but its relevance, to us, remains. It’s encouraging to see that handwriting is still taught in schools and children are learning and enjoying this form of communication.
The company behind this initiative is called “Handwriting Without Tears”; we don’t know why it’s called that but if you do, let us know! It’s unfortunate, however, that the clip only refers to “Handwriting Without Tears” as a teaching “method” without mentioning that it’s also a money-making business; oh well, at least the kids may eventually get higher SAT scores, according to the clip.
“And when I got to the script, I really enjoy it because it seems more elegant like… unique.” – Ashley Ragoonanan
Well put Ashley; we couldn’t have said it better ourselves.
*View the clip here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wK-kB2IMx2A
We’re taking a small break from writing about writing.
Instead, we’d like to share with you the lyrics from our favorite song at the moment. You Get Me from Faroe Island music superstar Teitur, off his second album Stay Under the Stars, is getting some crazy play on the iPod.
There’s a lyric below that has inspired a work-in-progress, ever popular, idioscript animation. Think you know which it is? Time will reveal all.
For now, enjoy the careful arrangement of some arbitrary words, woven together, to form a wonderful song.
You Get Me by Teitur Lassen
If I say no, if I resist
If I don’t give in to this
Would it be a lesson or a loss?
Suddenly I know what it’s about
Thoughts come in, and words come out
Suddenly I’m not killing time
It’s all over now
You get me
You get me
Like a beautiful song
You heard a million times
Like the rainbow’s end
You can never find
You get me
You get me
If I say yes, if I let go
And face the consequence I’ll know
Will it lead to living with regret?
Suddenly the walls are coming down
I won’t be the same when I come around
Suddenly I am understood
It’s all over now
You get me
You get me
Like a crimson sunset
Where the sky meets sea
Like no one alive
But lives in my dreams
You get me
You get me
You get me
You get me
Like a beautiful song
You heard a million times
Like the rainbow’s end
You can never find
It’s hard to ignore
And undeniable, too
This feeling inside
When I look at you
You get me
You get me
The video below titled “writing a letter” by pistchiodance is a swell illustration, we think, of how much more personal a considered, handwritten letter is compared to any message sent via email.
Sure, the painting of the heart could’ve been more graceful and the kiss was hardly gentle but try relaying a similar sentiment and manipulating your electronic mail into a folded crane.
For us, the verdict is in, old school letter writing 1, email letters 0.
Where should we place your vote?
When was the last time you wrote a letter – an actual letter, not an email or a typed correspondence for professional purposes?
Can you recall when you sat down and spent the time to craft a personal, handwritten note to someone just because you were curious of where they were, what they were doing or how they’re keeping?
If you’re anything like us, it takes a rare alignment of the moon and stars for such an extraordinary commitment to result.
Letter writing is a commitment. It’s a commitment in time, resources and thought. In an age when an email sent may be read by the recipient seconds later, why invest the time picking out stationery, carefully wording and neatly handwriting a message, not to mention placing the folded note in an envelope, licking the bitter glue to seal it and securing a stamp on the letter before delivering it to a mailbox? We’re exhausted just thinking about it.
All this effort and the message will probably not be read for another couple of weeks, depending on how long it takes to reach its destination. Is the process worth it or is the tradition of letter writing dead?
What would prompt you to commit to writing a letter?
Post a comment or email gabriel@idioscript.com. We’d like to hear your thoughts!
