3 Steps to Obscurity

I turned my dorm room into a pin hole camera using the 'camera obscura' technique. My post the other day, which included a performance of the band by the same name, got me looking online on how to do this myself. Scientifically I have no idea how this works but I can explain how to do it.

Step 1: You will need a small to medium sized room with one window and an empty white wall opposite that window. It works best if it is really bright outside.

Step 2: Make sure that the room is completely dark. Block all light from coming into the room. You may want to duct-tape large thick black trash bags to the window to keep that light from coming in.

Step 3: Make a hole in front of the window the size of a quarter or half dollar for the focused light to come through.

Here is the view outside my window:

And here is what the wall looked like (with the image of the outside projected and flipped):

It is really, really cool to experience this first hand.

I went to the Broadmarsh Bus Station at 2 AM last night to see off my friend Ariel who headed back to California for the semester. Some girls really like to drag out their goodbyes. I'll miss the friends I've made here but I have gotten so used to leaving people since I am constantly moving around. It's kind of sad actually. Anyway, I get back in 18 days and I'm sure the time between arriving at Logan and starting my staff training at Camp Farley will be completely filled. Between studying abroad, camp, and college I won't be able to see a lot of my Mashpee friends this year.

In other news I bought my first ever roll on deodorant today and I have to say that I am thoroughly impressed.

Speak easy,

Neil

Obscura

A little less than 3 weeks left and I'll be back in the states. The weather here has been pretty good up until today, which was rainy and cold. I've got my last final in a few days and then I will be one semester away from finishing college. I am looking forward to getting a degree and not being tied down to scholarly pursuits. Within the last day or so I have been reading through my uncle Dell's novel which he is trying to get published. Dell, if you're reading this I would like to say that I am enjoying it a lot and look forward to talking to you about it. It's actually kick starting me into writing again. For the last few weeks I have been holding off on writing due to my studies but I think I'll be able to get a good portion done before I get home.

I have been listening to the song I Love How You Love Me on repeat almost all day. There are three separate versions that I have been listening to and variations are great.

Also, went to see Prince of Persia. Fun and the kind of film you should see in theaters but not really a good film.

Speak easy,

Neil

#260

Studying for my literature final. Which in UK you would say 'I'm revising for my exam'. If you said studying for your final they might now immediately get what you're saying. I can hear the coffee brewing all the way from the kitchen. As a quick study break I am buying myself some homecoming gifts. The first is a DVD that I ordered last summer and I waited for months and it never came in the mail so instead of dealing with all of the fuss that comes with dealing with the postal service I am ordering it for the second time (youtube doesn't have a trailer for the film I am buying, so here is a trailer to the first film in the series). And secondly I am getting David Levithan/John Green's new book Will Grayson, Will Grayson. I will need something to read during day camper rest for the first week of camp.

Speak easy,

Neil

Edinburgh

This is Hamish, Edinburgh's resident mascot and beloved furry cow. He used to be fat because tourists would feed him a lot of junk food but now they offer "Hamish food" in the gift shop (a healthy and efficient way for them to monitor his food intake more closely). I bought a poster of Hamish to bring home with me. Overall, I would say he's a pretty cool guy. The tour guide we had said that some people used to grab onto his horns and so they had to put up a second fence to keep people from doing this. I don't think he minds though.

This is Greyfriar's Bobby. Many, many years ago there was a grounds-keeper at the Greyfriar's cemetery in Edinburgh. This grounds-keeper was very lonely so he got himself a small dog and named him Bobby and they became quick friends. They did everything together. After two years the grounds-keeper grew ill and died. They buried him in the very cemetery that he and Bobby watched over. Bobby was very, very sad that his master was gone. Instead of moving on, Bobby sat on his master's grave awaiting his return. For years Bobby sat patiently, waiting and waiting. The new grounds-keeper fed the dog but before long this grounds-keeper died as well. The story of Greyfriar's Bobby became more and more popular as the years went on. The town offered to pay to keep Bobby healthy and happy. After fourteen years of loyalty, Bobby too passed on. Many people tried to petition to allow Bobby to be buried at his master's side but due to state law, it was illegal to bury a dog in a human cemetery. They buried him as close to the cemetery as possible. However, they did put a headstone in the cemetery in honor of him. Some people leave flowers for him. Others leave sticks because it is believed that he would have loved to play with them.

Man's best friend.

The cafe on the third floor here is where JK Rowling famously wrote the first two books in the Harry Potter Series. It is also said that Grayfriar's graveyard is where she went for inspiration. In fact, some of the headstones are where she got names for various characters.

Speak easy,

Neil

Lennon, Kafka, and Spiderman

It's been a while since I've last updated but that's mainly due to 1) Travelling and 2) Laziness, I guess. I was trying to get my plane ticket changed so I could go back early in June but that didn't work out so I am stuck here until June 19th. These are some pics I sifted through. They are from my trips to Prague, Berlin, and Amsterdam. I've got stuff to say about each place but I'll save that for later.

Speak easy,

Neil

An open letter to young mothers.

Dear Young Moms,

Don't bring your 4 year olds to see Iron Man 2 for their birthday. They will just spend the entire time talking loudly to themselves asking if War Machine is okay and wondering whether or not Samuel L. Jackson's character is a pirate. They are young and get restless easily. They should not let anyone under 8 years old to get into a PG-13 movie. Also, don't talk on your cell phone in the middle of the first act. It is crucial that I understand the motivations of the characters on screen. Please be considerate in the future.

Yours Truly, Neil Everett Johnson

__________

Speak easy,

Neil

Kick-Ass Review

Just got back from seeing Kick-Ass. I thought it was pretty good but there are some minor problems I had with it. One article I read claimed that the movie was a "ebullient blend of the best bits from Spider-Man, Watchmen and Superbad." It does definitely feel like an amalgamation of those with a whole lot of other stuff that Quinton Terrintino would love to see on the big screen (if you had no problem stomaching Kill Bill Volume I, then you will have no qualms with this film). I would say, however, that it is not as fun as Spider-Man, which was a whole lot of fun from beginning to end and had plenty of action along the way. Kick-Ass started out presenting violence and masked heroism as something that is realistically painful with real life consequences. There are bruises and broken bones and trips to the hospital. This makes the action scenes, specifically involving the inexperienced Kick-Ass (yes, that is his superhero name) to be a little more stressful. Peter Parker was, in the audiences eyes, never in any real danger. Watchmen had some strong themes and very human characters. Despite being a little lengthy, it carried a lot of the same literary ideals that made the original comic so popular (and the only graphic novel to make it on Time Magazine's list of 100 greatest novels of all time. Quite an achievement). One of the bigger problems in a lot of the reviews that I have been reading of the film, especially Roger Ebert's, is how the film is not morally grounded and could leave the viewer with a warped perception of violence. I do agree with this although it is, at it's core, just a "cool", "badass" movie. It isn't trying to be anything that it's not. Also, it is not as funny as Superbad. There are a few exchanges that are pretty funny but there are a lot of points where it does miss the mark. Overall I would say if you like Kill Bill, Watchmen, Sin City, or other films of that ilk, I would say this is worth a watch. If you are easily offended or could never dream of sitting through difficult to watch films like as Hostel or Saw, then don't see this. You will probably hate it.

The only reason I did a more in-depth review for Kick-Ass, as opposed to some of the other films I've seen recently, is because after seeing it I was sort of torn on whether I liked it or not. It wasn't a straight up dud like Dear John and it wasn't an undeniable delight like How To Train Your Dragon.

Films and Iceland

Iceland is proving to be as stubborn as ever and will not let up with the smoke and ash. I am pushing back my travels to mainland Europe until Saturday (hopefully). For the last few days I have been going to movies and visiting local coffee shops to get some writing done (reached 14,000 words this evening on the project I am currently working on. I'm really liking it too).

Some of the films I've gone to and what I thought of them...

Remember Me: Not that great. I was expecting more from something from the guy who directed The Sopranos. Kind of a crappy script. Sad ending that didn't really make the story or message any better, just really sad. Rob Pattinson wasn't too bad though. Just wish he would pick some better films to do.

Dear John: Never have I seen a more bland protagonist. It made me wish I was watching the Notebook. I didn't really like the messages here either. They were basically 1) if you are a bad boy, joining the army will fix you and make you a decent human being and 2) if you are head over heals in love with someone you should do as much for them as you can for them even if they don't treat you very well. How about living your own life and not meddling too much in other people's private affairs? I felt kind of bad for Nicholas Sparks after watching this one.

How To Train Your Dragon: So good. I would recommend this to anyone, old or young. Same writer director as Lilo & Stitch, one of my all time favorite animated films. Good, relatable characters. Some awesome visuals too. Lot's of great comedic actors in here too. I usually hate Dreamworks animated films but with a 98% rating at Rotten Tomatoes you can't go wrong. As good, I'd say, as anything Pixar is making these days, which is saying a lot.

Speak easy,

Neil

another victory for hysteria

These are some doodles I did the other day that I think I might want to use for t-shirt designs or something. The top one is a hedgehog (obviously) inside a Matroyshka and the bottom one is a compsognathus playing a game boy. In reality the compsognathus (although one of the smallest dinosaurs) would tower over a game boy.

Less than two days left of my solitary confinement. The closest thing I have to a friend right now is this guy that works at the local coffee shop who I have forced awkward small talk with. I hate it when you talk to someone for five minutes when both of you only have thirty second worth of stuff to say. I can get a ton of work done at coffee shops though, assuming I drink my coffee slow and I am not sitting with anyone. Somehow the people moving in and out and the fact that I can't just leave when I still have coffee in the mug gives me a sense of urgency, throwing procrastination out the window. With that being said I am starting to write a lot about some of my experiences here. I'm not sure if I want anyone to read it unless it is absolutely necessary. It's fairly personal and completely unfiltered. Embarrassing I'm sure.

Since I'm exhausted I'll just put up a slew of pictures instead of writing any more.

Speak easy,

Neil