fool.

fuckyeahghosttowns: Isla de Las Muñecas / Island of the Dolls...

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 16:54:54 -0500

Isla de Las Muñecas / Island of the Dolls near Xochimilico in Mexico.
(via flickr)

Known as “Isla de Las Muñecas”, by the Spanish, The Island of the Dolls is perhaps the creepiest tourist attraction in Mexico. Located within an extensive network of canals, south of Mexico City, the island is a place of mystery and superstition. Almost every tree growing on the island is decorated with old, mutilated dolls that give anyone the feeling that they’re constantly being watched.

The legend that explains who and why the dolls were placed on the island goes like this:

On a small island on Teshuilo Lake, between Xochimilco and Mexico City, three young girls were playing in the area when one drowned. Of course the area become known as a haunted spot and few trespassed on the land.

A loner by the name of Julian Santana chose the place to live and honored the spirit child, said to haunt the area, with dolls. Often, Santana would find old discarded dolls to bring to the island as an offering. The dolls, tied to trees, in addition to a special alter he constructed for the child, became known by locals.

What was also learned was that Santana had a wonderful garden of fresh produce. Locals began bringing old dolls in trade for fresh vegetables. The trade increased the collection so much that the island now has an amazing collection of thousands of dolls in various stages of disintegration. Ironically, in 2001 Don Julian Santana was found dead by his nephew, in the same canal that he said the little girl drowned in.

While creepy and even morbid may be the initial reaction, there is an amazing and uplifting sense that comes from this type of legend. The island became an alter that is still being visited and decorated today. Santana’s respect for the spirit child became a way for locals to honor her as well.Some tourists who visited this place claim the dolls whisper and you must offer them a gift upon setting foot on the island, to appease their spirits.

Submission by Nieng. More photographs of this place can be found on flickr. Take a look here to view some touristic information about it.

Aphex Twin. Grass. from selected ambient works 2. ander inspired...

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 04:06:30 -0500

Aphex Twin. Grass.

from selected ambient works 2.

ander inspired me give this one a re-listen. i haven’t always agreed with mr. james on his choices, but i always had a respect. he never really pigeonholed himself. something always drew me back, i’m just not sure what. that’s probably his charm. tongue-and-cheek meets easy listening meets a haunted house. creepy and relaxing. who else can say that?

Having worked in retail for so long, and observing middle america at it's most truthful...

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:42:00 -0500

Having worked in retail for so long, and observing middle america at it's most truthful...
i've come to the conclusion that i've made the right choices in my life.

My Bloody Valentine. Don’t Ask Why.

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 01:54:45 -0500

My Bloody Valentine. Don’t Ask Why.

I really enjoyed walker percy's the moviegoer.

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:37:00 -0500

I really enjoyed walker percy's the moviegoer.
most of all because of how much i related to binx bolling's worldview. i never read a book before where i felt such a kinship with the protagonist. binx doesn't seem to be easily swayed by the values of others. there's a part in the book where his aunt asks him if he feels the need to "make a contribution." he replies, "no."
i hear all these grandiose pop songs with their sunny dispositions and it makes me nauseous. pessimism and optimism are equally delusional. they seem to say: "don't forget to live your life!" i AM living my life. i have no desire to jump from aeroplanes or win the nobel prize.
it is amusing to me that these people, who supposedly "have it all", are so filled with yearning. so... it turns out that quest for approval got you nowhere, eh?
that says it all for me.
charlatans.
go sell your shampoo
to someone else.

I am always amused by a quote from proverbs that is displayed on a parkbench as an advertisement for a church. it reads: "the fear of god is the beginning of wisdom" haha. i have nothing against the beliefs of christians, i just think if you're looking to convert someone you have to assume that they don't already believe.

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:21:00 -0500

I am always amused by a quote from proverbs that is displayed on a parkbench as an advertisement for a church. it reads: "the fear of god is the beginning of wisdom" haha. i have nothing against the beliefs of christians, i just think if you're looking to convert someone you have to assume that they don't already believe.

Luc Ferrari. Etude aux sons tendus.

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 15:48:22 -0500

Luc Ferrari. Etude aux sons tendus.

Cy Twombly. Untitled. (1990)

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 15:39:38 -0500

Cy Twombly. Untitled. (1990)

I just don't get this pop culture jazz. why are people so preoccupied with people they'll never know or a conversation with? i guess the same could be said of me. except my interest is in what they do, rather than their personal lives. i

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 20:13:02 -0500

I just don't get this pop culture jazz. why are people so preoccupied with people they'll never know or a conversation with? i guess the same could be said of me. except my interest is in what they do, rather than their personal lives. i
don't have a personal relationship with those people, nor do i want to... it seems so empty when we could be sharing our lives with each other instead.

No one expects a seagull to be anything other than a seagull. it is beyond our rules, our qualifications. i see a flock flying through the air and i realize i am gazing on perfection. no expects a seagull to build a civilization. being a seagull is simply enough and by definition, a measure of its perfection. we are dwelling in a landscape of ghosts. of dreams. our perfection is beyond our being. another place, another time. i smile at the seagulls, they have it figured out.

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 18:01:04 -0500

No one expects a seagull to be anything other than a seagull. it is beyond our rules, our qualifications. i see a flock flying through the air and i realize i am gazing on perfection. no expects a seagull to build a civilization. being a seagull is simply enough and by definition, a measure of its perfection. we are dwelling in a landscape of ghosts. of dreams. our perfection is beyond our being. another place, another time. i smile at the seagulls, they have it figured out.

"Once, after finishing a picture, I thought I would stop for awhile, take a trip, do things —..."

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 15:29:00 -0500

“Once, after finishing a picture, I thought I would stop for awhile, take a trip, do things — the next time I thought of this, I found five years had gone by.”

- Willem de Kooning

i’m not sure what it is exactly that i’m painting these days, but it has got my...

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 14:44:38 -0500

i’m not sure what it is exactly that i’m painting these days, but it has got my attention. and it makes sense to do it. it feels good to “step off of the ledge.” to take the training wheels off. to let something emerge. everything i am going to do from now on is going to be entirely improvised. it seems much more sincere.

Yoko Under the Piano: A Poem

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:58:53 -0500

Yoko Under the Piano: A Poem:

Sometimes I wish I was an idiot savant. I would live in an assisted living home, sterile clean and white, smelling like a swimming pool. Emerald green fertilized grass outside, 2 benches, a ragged sidewalk with daisies on either side, leading to the entrance. Daytime television quietly humming in…

wow. seriously. i love this! beautiful.

A baby cries.

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 19:58:40 -0500

A baby cries.
the mother gives it milk
a short term fix
the crying never ends

emptiness creates emptiness
desire creates desire
an island in a sea of empty gestures
drowning is meaningless.

you speak to me of superman
i've never met the man
even if he did exist
his work is never done.

fly, birdie! fly!

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:09:42 -0500

and by my previous post i sincerely mean no ill will to anyone who might be pigeonholed as a “hipster.” some of my best friends are hipsters. i was merely referring to memes.

memes have been around probably since the time that bipedal apes first invented the hammer. it used to irritate me, and sometimes still does, but now i delight in watching its pandemic. it’s like watching a nature show.

the fact that something that has no real substance can propagate itself and follow rules of natural selection is fascinating to me. and only in the world of human beings does it take shape. cats like to watch birds fly outside the window. i enjoy watching my fellow hominids mutate according to a pattern that they themselves had no part in creating.

so i was reading up on these so-called “hipsters” that everyone seems to be going on...

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 22:35:00 -0500

so i was reading up on these so-called “hipsters” that everyone seems to be going on about. when time magazine writes about your scene, your scene is over.

kudos to the hipsters. and i mean that sincerely. it has taken this bastardized, empty, pointless youth culture to expose how empty, pointless, and bastardized youth culture is. they already did that with punk in the 70s, but you guys took it to its plateau! it couldn’t have played out better, really. irony is finally DEAD. and i couldn’t be happier. and the best part is… i don’t even think you guys were aware of it. haha. that just makes it perfect.

duchamp was right. ideas do have a life of their own. they’re downright virulent.

anyway, thanks.

Nico. Somewhere There’s A Feather. such a beautiful song....

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 20:44:40 -0500

Nico. Somewhere There’s A Feather.

such a beautiful song. jackson browne is so optimistic in this song. i wish i shared his optimism. but until then, i can listen to this song.

Study at Stanford Finds Computer Science Students are Biggest Cheaters

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 20:28:49 -0500

Study at Stanford Finds Computer Science Students are Biggest Cheaters:

yeah, but… that’s just the culture of programming. everyone does it. in every class i was in, it was encouraged. by the teachers.

it’s different than other academic disciplines. it’s not like writing a term paper. in programming, code is shared… and improved upon.

you just can’t compare it to plagiarism in humanities. it’s not the same. humanities are completely subjective. programming is not.

fuckyeahcomputerscience:

A recent study by the San Jose Mercury News shows that at Stanford, cheating in computer science classes account for 22% of the university’s total honor code violations, despite accounting for only 7% of student enrollment…

The Dead C. The Magicians.

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 02:47:53 -0500

The Dead C. The Magicians.

The Dead Milkmen. Badger Song. it’s like i’m at 8th...

Sat, 13 Feb 2010 02:41:18 -0500

The Dead Milkmen. Badger Song.

it’s like i’m at 8th grade camp all over again.