When you type "eternal bachelor" into the google, phrases like anti-feminist and, disenfranchised father, and marriage is a losing proposal are some the results.

As a potential eternal bachelor I find these phrases not necessarily the truth.
The key is to stay in your bachelor zone and piss on everything outside it. Hobbies such as drinking, video games, and warhammer are activities guaranteed to keep you in this zone.
At times outside my bachelor bubble, I usually find women so disappointing that I welcome my return ticket.

I am neither anti-feminist nor a disenfranchised father (that I know of). My interest in women is purely superficial I guess. I get tired of everyone. Just the idea of always having someone around annoys me. There is no polite way to request your space from a girlfriend. It is always interpreted as rejection or mischief. And perhaps it is mischief I seek.

An interesting question was raised to me recently.
At what age is one considered an eternal bachelor?
Considering my current age of 28 and my proclivity for making sacrifices and getting along with people, my guess is probably higher than the average. I can for see that young people, those already attached, and those affluent with the other sex would predict an age around mine or possibly even younger. Bachelors older than me, those already divorced, or those that are miserable in marriage should guess an age around 35 or so. Life is quite malleable, so there is always hope of meeting someone I guess. My final anwer to the previous question is 37. If you are 37 and a bachelor there is a greater chance than not that you are destined to be an eternal bachelor.


Maybe one day I will grow up or at least settle on some poor broad.

ADS 4 square pwnage

Matt serves, then pwnage.
This is probably the most violent act I have ever seen Caleb commmit.

Jim Mora - In my opinion that sucked.

Playoffs?

MySpace anyone?

Here is my gratuitous link to myspace.com page.
Click here to find me. I'm always looking to meet new people.

What's the deal with man things? I never get tired of them. I will try on watches, money clips, pinky rings, zippo lighters, and cuff links all day long. There is just something about them, like there is something about a shave with a razor blade from a barber shop, or something about a real shoe shine or a monogrammed shirt. Whilst sorting through my belongings, I noticed I have lots of man things. Of which I am the most proud are my brass zippo that I bought in Las Vegas in about 1992 and my monogrammed money clip from the Lufkin mall from 1996. Only a real man enjoys drinking Irish whiskey from a hip flask with the flip-top screw-on lid. Never undervalue an over sized coffee cup with a history. Other man things include that brush used to apply homemade shaving cream, and those cover things that hold business cards. You are my kind of guy if you can name more than 3 colors for business cards. I'm the guy that holds onto that graduation pen set for a few years, then replace the ink and enjoy the writing of a well-balanced heavy black pen. Check this site out, I recommend the roller ball with the chiselled tartan finish. If you have any man things you want to mention, then email me.

Your Stylish Man,
Mack Austin Esquire

My Halloween Costume, Suge Knight
(minus crushed velvet track suit & bling)

I thought the software blogger uses was a sham until I read another positive
blog about it So now I can post pictures. Forwarding pictures from my phone to my email to hello from picasa! to my blog should make the time between posts near infinity now. My phone has some badass options for pictures. My favorites are the pen tool (perfect for drawing horns on people), the crop feature, and the add-on text feature. So if I take a picture of you on my phone, just know I am going to doodle on your face.

I also have to take this opportunity to thank Nels for hooking me up with a fat computer.
It dwarfs (no pun intented) my shell of a former computer which the dwarf now uses.
Also, for the hardcore RTS'ers, check out dungeon keeper 2.

Look forward to my reviews of Ultimate Spider-Man ( you've got to watch the videos, true believers) and SOCOM III within the next few days.
Birthdays, hanh, Aooowww-right! Giggty, gigtty!

Its been so long since I've made a post. So I want to tell my non-existent audience how I've been spending my time.

Played some warhammer http://us.games-workshop.com/games/40K/default.htm
Lots of Madden 06 for PS2 http://www.easports.com/madden06/index.jsp
Lots of work http://www.kvue.com
Some ebay shopping http://ebay.com
lots of ytmnd http://www.ytmnd.com
got some new ink http://www.tattoodownloads.com/

Anyway, I have aspirations of updating my blog here every so often. Or at least more often then I have been.

A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

When a true genius appears in the world,
you may know him by this sign, that the dunces
are all in confederacy against him.
Jonathan Swift-
Thoughts on Various Subjects,
Moral and Diverting


I'm sure that I've mentioned this book title to some of you before, but after my third re-read I had to do a piece on it. Some research I did for this post blew me away. I didn't even know the whole story.
I won't bore with my version, so just check out this link. I guess that story really doesn't carry as much weight to those who haven't read the book. I get the same feeling after re-reading this book that I get after watching a thought provoking movie like Waking Life or American Beauty.

The character of Ignatius J. Riley is truly a Falstaff-ian figure. A huge man who is constantly burping, farting, and bitching at everyone couldn't possibly be the protagonist of a critically acclaimed story I've raved about could he? Oh yes he could!!! I struggle to write a commentary without giving away the genius of the story. So here is a short synopsis in another's words since I can't seem to find my own. Click here for synopsis.

Also in my research, I was pleasantly surprised to find a movie of A Confederacy of Dunces in the works now. A movie version of this story would be hilarious. Especially with a good cast of Mos Def, Drew Barrymore and Will Farell as Ignatius J. Riley. Unfortunately, according to imdb information, production has stalled so we may never get to see what could have been.

Insomnia

Here is a topic for you: How do I cure my insomnia and sleep on a regular schedule?

Ive been suffering with bouts of insomnia lately. I haven't slept more than about 5 hours in a row for a few weeks now and I think it's taking its tole on me. Symptoms include daytime weariness and loss of productivity, as well as irritability and decreased enjoyment in usually enjoyable activities. I've tried staying up all night and the next day to be very tired and sleep at night. Laying in bed waiting for sleep sure does not seem to be the answer. After I lay in bed a few hours without sleep, I try getting up and reading or playing a Madden game to tire me out a bit, but that doesn't work either.

According to webmd.com, insomnia is a common temporary disorder that everyone suffers from at one point. I would appreciate any suggestions as to how readers have cured their insomnia or clues to establish a good sleep pattern.

mack_austin@hotmail.com
Cya

Revival Through Western Thought


Wow!!! Over two months since my last post. Part of the absence is my lack of topics and conversation, but motivation is the primary explanation. Like 90% (Sicilian estimate) of blog users, I started a page only to watch it grow cold. That was not my original intention of course, but I've never had a website before. I asked myself today, "Why do I have a webpage?" I guess I have a web page to flex the ol brain and keep it from dying. Plus any writing is good writing.

A book I've been reading/studying is Thus Spake Zarathusthra by Neitzche. As most of Freidrich's work, Thus Spake Zarathustra overwhelms the mind. Unless one has a background in Western thought and philosophy, Zarathustra won't make much sense. But my audience has surely read Fisher Price: My First Philosophy, and Playskool: Inside My Head.
Check this link to read Thus Spake Zarathustra.
Thus Spake Zarathustra weaves the tale of a "prophet", Zarathustra. After spending years in meditation isolated in the mountains, Zarathustra returns to humanity. The rest of the story serves as function for Neitzche to get his agenda across. I believe Neitzche wanted to wake people up and consider thier values more than push his own values.

Anyway, I wanted to start a conservation with readers about a topic discussed in the book. Zarathustra introduces then expands on the Ubermensch idea. Basically an Ubermensch lives his/her life with a different set of values than his peers (often unaware of such) and shapes others' undetermined values. He/She can "affect history indefinitely" as my former philosophy professor and author Dr. Robert Solomon described. Think of an Ubermensch as an alpha male dog who herds and influences the weaker, indecisive dogs. For example, Napoleon affected European history far beyond his death. Hitler did the same.

It is important to remember that Neitzsche was very non-political and wrote years before the existance of Nazi's. I become quite petulant when I hear some doosh liken Neitzche to the Nazi's. Irony abounds in sight of Nazi's taking on this Ubermensch idea. The Nazi's used the work of a great German writer to aggrandize thier own propaganda campaign. Fortunately for the Nazi's, most German people had not even read Fisher Price: My First Philosophy. I'm sure the German intellectual community conceived the manipulation, but since they were natural enemies of Nazi's anyway......
An Ubermensch should be content with their own life, and appreciate all things. Creativity, thoughts, and values should be an Ubermensch's tools, not an MG-42 machine gun or a Panzer tank.

The idea of an Ubermensch should inspire courage and optimism, not conquest and genocide. Another associated idea I should have mentioned by now is the will-to-power. Think of this as every human is continually trying to fulfill their desires either through action or thought. An Ubermensch applies this idea on a large scale. He/She gains contentment and realisation of his own life by recognizing that values and meanings will exist as long as the will to power does.

We love feedback here at mackinblack, so feel free to holla to mack_austin@hotmail.com and tell me how great I broke down Neitzche or how I am a Nazi sympathizer for reading German authors.

Mack Out

Ed McMahon and the Phenomenon of the Hype Man


Today I want to discuss and define an entertainment phenomenon. The hype man. The origins of the hype man are a lost mystery. Perhaps an ancient entertainer discovered that without anyone else on stage, the audience became tired of watching and listening to the same person throughout the show. Perhaps this entertainer discovered that another face and voice to support his own kept his audience more interested. Thus, the invention of the hype man. I also think it important to note that the primary entertainer isnt trying to share the spotlight with his partner, only add to his shows' glory.
So, I'm sure by the title you can see where I am going with this. Let's open our minds real wide and ponder this thought: Ed McMahon of Tonight Show fame cast the mold for the modern hip-hop hype man.

Flavor Flav, Bushwick Bill, P Diddy, Jermaine Dupri, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Nate Dogg, and Mr. Dalvin all assert themselves as hip hop hype men. All can see seen or heard in popular rap groups. For example, Mr. Dalvin flaunts his pretty boy image in Jodeci. Bushwick Bill brought power and a "little" (haha) attitude to the Geto Boys. Flavor Flav added street credibility to Public Enemy. Can you imagine 911 is a joke without Flav? Some of the names listed are producers of the music which they hype. P Diddy and Jermaine Dupri are good examples of hype men who produce with the option of a solo album. But I digress, know that we know some hype men, you should have a better frame of consciousness for my contentions.

Ed McMahon appeared on the Tonight Show from 1962-1992. Ed was a presence on the show before Carson, while Steve Allen was the host. He operated in essentially a hype man role. He announced the host's name (in his most famous "Heeeeerrre's Johnny) , then laughed at the hosts' or guests' jokes and stood or sit at the proper time. While Ed was most certainly a part of the show, Johhny Carson was the primary entertainer. Even when Ed would crack a funny like a well timed "Hey-OOOOO!" or "That is correct." and the crowd would laugh, it seemed to be that the crowd was laughing with Johnny at Ed instead of laughing at Ed's joke. In his other career endeavors, Ed usually evoked a Tonight Show memory for at least for me no matter in what role he was cast. His persona takes from the Tonight Show even to this very day. Ed also mastered and possibly created the fake laugh. Now would Flavor Flav find false enthusiasm useful to his cause?

Consider what Ed McMahon and hype men have in common. Both gained their fame through somone else either on a tv show or a rap group. Both introduce the show or song. Both exude reverence toward their source of fame. Ed laughed the hardest at Carson's jokes. Diddy gave strategery "Un-Huh"'s and "That's right" during Biggy's hits. Both have some success in solo projects merely because of their previous associations.

So considering at what point in time McMahon started his career as a hype man, and at what point rap hype men begin to surface, who is imitating who?

Holy Jesus. Mack Austin is now publishing text on the internet. This is not an original idea by any means. However, I thought I would cash in at an opportunity to write things that could be potentially be read by millions. (Im thinking grand here).
Any comments about the name Mack in Black should be directed to mack_austin@hotmail.com. I thought the title to be a clever play on words halfway between Back in Black by AC/DC and the Man in Black (Johnny Cash).

Among the many topics I plan to write about include but are not limited to:
1. Music interests
2. video game reviews
3. news of myself
4. fiction shorts by yours truly.
5. fantasy sports news from all my teams in every sport
6. disses and complaints about people, places and things

I'm not very good with HTML or creating websites, so expect a gradual increase in the quality of my site.

Mack In Black OUT