Daily ramblings.

Daily ramblings.

Hunter S Thompson is one man I would like to learn more about. I saw his book in Chapters the other day, and one line stood out for me. He said "It Never Got Weird Enough for Me", at the end of the book I believe. Flipping through I remember one pictures very well. One of a him holding a shotgun and a blazing fire. I don't know why, but this image seemed to capture the essence of how this man lived his life.
Many years ago, when I was in Japan, I had a tradition of going to the video store, and renting random videos because there was such a limited selection. But I was forced to watch so many videos I would never choose normally, and that opened up my mind so much. I know it sounds like a cliche, but it is so good for anybody to be pushed outside of their comfort zone.
Anyway, one of those videos I rented was Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas with Johnny Depp. I guess I connected with the movie because it kinda reflected my crazy lifestyle when I was living in Osaka, and more weekends than I would like to remember were one long, crazy blur.
As I ramble on, (that is why I call this my daily ramble), I think about another quotable from Eminem. It's from the song Lose Yourself, and the lyric is "A normal life is boring; but superstardom's close to post-mortem". I reflect upon this lyric because it summarises my goals in my life as I move through my 30's. One can't help to think that the only way to secure the kind of lifestyle that gives you the freedom to have what you want, when you want it is to become a celebrity or a household name. Being absurdly rich would be incredible too, but nothing would beet being a celebrity, at least for a time. Look at people like Donald Trump or Paris Hilton. What do they have in common one might ask. Well, they are both non traditional celebrities. Non traditional celebrities seem to be the trend these days. I would say that a traditional celebrity would be a movie star or a popular musician in my opinion. I don't want to get into sport athletes, because I think that is something different.
Getting back to my point, lets look at Donald Trump first. Basically, he is just a successful real estate investor. But his own self ego and his desire to be a celebrity is so great, that he will go to any extent to get his face out there. I guess he must thank god for the coming of reality television. Reality TV is a perfect vehicle for somebody like him, and...... this bring us to our second person, Paris Hilton who has used reality TV, to get her career off the ground. Even though all her movies and music have been less than inspirational, she truly is a PR genius. Being from one of the richest American families got her foot in the door, but she sure has done a good job at keeping that door open.
As I wrap up my ramble, I would like to tie in my last point. I am sure the last thing anybody wants to hear is another, "my key to life is", sorta philosophy, but here I go. One of the keys to life is to balance between two elements. Trying not to hurt the people you care about, but at the same time going after what you want, when you want it, just like many celebrities have the luxury of doing. I often think about it when I lie in bed. I CAN NOT survive if I have to live a "normal" life, but at the same time, I MUST respect and try not to hurt the people who care so much about me. This is the most challenging thing I (and probably half the world) have ever had to face. So as I romanticize quotes from Eminem, and dream of about the lifestyles of non traditional celebrities, at the end of my life, I may be thinking to myself, "It Never Got Weird Enough for Me" sigh..........
PS, I don't entirely believe in the philosophy of the last quote, but I just thought it would sound so cool to end my ramble with a Hunter S Thompson quote.