First Post From My Phone

July 15, 2011 Alex Matsuo

Watch out, internet. Alex has the powers to update her blog from her phone…

I’m waiting for a photo client right now and I was entertaining a curiosity. However, I cannot locate a grammar or spell check so this may be grammatically atrocious.

Okay, here’s a thought: Is being funny all that it’s “cracked” up to be? (Oh man, I slay myself). Okay, back to the subject. Is it better to be serious all the time and taken seriously? OR is it better to be a generally serio-funny person so that people acknowledge a change when things need to be serious? Or do you save your funny side for close friends and loved ones only?

My fingers are already cramping from this entry. So I’m done. But this is something to think about so reply and leave a comment with your response.

The Choice to Engage

June 29, 2011 Alex Matsuo

It’s been a while. Dealt with another split in my theatre world. But this one was for the better and far away from me. I started my new job which has been keeping me busy. I’ve slightly touched on my play, added some more dialogue and more specific stage directions, etc. But, that’s not my reason for blogging. I’m blogging because of an interaction I had with some old people today. Okay, they weren’t really old, maybe mid-50’s to late-60’s.
I was driving home and on my way to the freeway after having brunch with a friend. I had both hands on the wheel, listening to the radio. I stopped at a stop light, and while I was stopped, I grabbed my purse from the passenger’s side floor and put my phone on the charger. Light still red. I resumed my sitting and waited. I heard honking next to me. I glanced over and this man is yelling at me while making a phone out of his hand. I could tell he was yelling at me to get off the phone, and he was being quite aggressive. I mouthed back (my windows were up) showing both hands in the air that I wasn’t on the phone. Then I see the man’s wife lean over with her dog in her lap and she starts yelling the same thing at me. Well, at that point I knew I wasn’t going to convince them that I was not on the phone. So, I flipped them the bird and didn’t acknowledge them or look back over. I kept hearing the man honking his horn, and I kept ignoring. Did I have the last word? I don’t know. Did I care? Of course not.
I tried not to engage in the conflict as much as I could. Of course, I couldn’t resist flipping the bird. I really didn’t care because I knew I wasn’t talking on my phone or texting on my phone. I simply put my phone on the charger while I was at the red light, and it took probably…five seconds? I could have yelled back at the guy until I had a vein sticking out like him, but I chose not to. It wasn’t important enough to me to prove to these people that they were in the wrong and I wasn’t on my phone. I know that anything I yelled back or gestured wouldn’t do squat and they would only continue to yell at me. And it was aggressive yelling with intense hand motions and the doggy in the lap being jerked around while the wife yelled her two cents at me. Of course it’s bugging me slightly because I’m blogging about it. But, I have to say, I’m human and it felt good to flip the bird, and resume my life in the serenity of my car while this man continued to honk his horn at me several more times until the light turned green. It felt pretty good to be the calm one and in control of my emotions. I couldn’t even tell you what happened to the couple after the light turned green.
So, why am I writing about this? It gave me some inspiration for Japanese Eyes/American Heart. It wasn’t the exact event and I’m not adding a scene that is identical to my experience today. It’s the choice to engage or disengage in conflict, and the choice to start conflict. As well as the decision to stay in control or to completely lose control. So we shall see where this inspiration takes me.
Thanks for your reading time.

A Farewell to Childhood

May 30, 2011 Alex Matsuo

Tonight, I finally saw Toy Story 3. I know…egads! That movie has been in theaters and to DVD. Why did I wait this long to finally see it? Lack of time. The usual excuse. So, get your freak outs out of your system that I didn’t see this movie sooner. Because that’s not what this posting is about.

Toy Story came out when I was around 9 years old. I remember seeing it in theaters and being in awe of the new animation I was seeing on screen. It was Pixar’s first hit. Anyway, I could totally relate to Andy and his toys. A few years later, Toy Story 2 came out and I saw that in theaters as well. It was okay. Not better than the original, but it was okay. The movies reminded me of my own relationship with my toys. Being an only child, you had to entertain yourself somehow.
Anyway, most of you who know me, know that I cry easily during movies. Well, let me rephrase that, I cry easily in certain scenarios. We all have “that movie” that makes us lose it. Movies such as Anna and the King, The Chipmunks Movie (specifically during the Mother song), The Iron Giant, The Green Mile, etc. The list goes on.
I wasn’t expecting Toy Story 3 to affect me the way that it did. I was a bit embarrassed since I was watching it with a friend. I made it through most of the movie without crying. The incinerator scene got me a tad emotional and thank God for the “Claw” line from the aliens to get me back to normal. But…the scene where Andy’s mom is in his room…that got me slightly started with a few tears. I didn’t realize it would be a warm-up to what was coming. When Andy is introducing his toys to Bonnie one by one, I started weeping. Then when he finally lets go of Woody, I was a mess. That scene went both ways. Woody was already in the “college” box getting ready to leave and the rest of the toys were going to go to Bonnie. But Woody let Andy go, and then Andy finally let Woody go.
And…here I start crying again just thinking about it, I suppose it’s all still fresh.
Then the last playtime with the toys. Beautiful scene. The final goodbye though had me in a huge mess. When Bonnie moves Woody’s hand to say goodbye to Andy, his reaction got me going (good job Pixar). Andy looks fondly at the toys one last time, he says, “Thanks, guys”…and I had to start wiping my eyes at a faster rate so I could see what was happening on the screen. Then Woody’s, “So long…partner” finished me.
So why did this movie make me the blubbering mess that writes this to you?
I remember saying goodbye to my own toys and donating them to charity. I still have my teddy bear that was given to me on the day I was born. When I was old enough, I named the bear, “Precious”. Precious went through all my surgeries with me growing up and even has the stitching to match my own scars. This film represented the final goodbye to my childhood. I’m sure there is a contrast between the children and the young adults who viewed this film, and I bet they saw two different movies. I remember there being a Facebook group regarding young adults telling the kids to move over since Toy Story was a part of our childhoods and we grew up with Andy and the franchise. For me, the film ended beautifully. It was the perfect closure to one of my favorite Disney stories while I was growing up.
Well, it’s after midnight and I’m exhausted from a day of doing nothing (yay days off!). So I shall close this post with a classic from my childhood.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zB2gPZRsz0Q]

Customer Service

May 16, 2011 Alex Matsuo

Friday was my last day in my retail job. It was interesting. It was an uneventful day for the most part until the very end when I was about 10 minutes away from punching out for good. An elderly couple walked in with measurements of their refrigerator, as I looked at the specs, they had a small fridge and they were looking at the large side-by-sides. I asked them if their space was bigger and the wife didn’t know. The husband kept interrupting me to speak slower…even in my slower pace, I was still speaking too fast for him. Oy. Of course this would happen on my last few minutes. The wife kept insisting on getting a side-by-side refrigerator even though she didn’t have any measurements of the actual space. They were looking at a discontinued fridge that was clearanced and I told him that I didn’t have any more new fridges but I could sell them the display model. They didn’t want that. I then showed the Samsung model right next to the original model they wanted and it was only $200 more. They “poo-pooed” my suggestion in a less-than-polite manner. SO THEN…I go to the computer and search for refrigerators and gave them some lovely print-outs…then I saw the time.
It was 5:15pm. I was supposed to be done. NOW…
I then attempted to pass the couple on to my coworker and they didn’t want me to leave. I then told them that I was off (for good) and then the husband tries to ask me more questions even after I told them I was off…and I was trying to pass them off to my coworker. Finally, I sternly say slowly, “Sir my coworker will be glad to take care of you.” As I walked away, my coworker shows them the Samsung and they go for it.
I punch out at 5:17pm and say goodbye to my coworkers and I walked out of the building.
My last week of work in this job seemed to have attracted the rudest people. Now, I have a lot of work ethic, and I seem to get along with people. I even grit my teeth at the occasional rude customer. This week though…and it was a lot of rude elderly people. I had an old man wanting a quote including tax so I grabbed my calculator and the old man proceeded to call me stupid and insult my intelligence for grabbing a calculator. I finally said, “I understand, sir. But I use a calculator to make sure that there is no error in the numbers.” I’m getting a Master’s degree in a week and I’m sitting here listening to an old man berate me because of my lack of skill in numbers? Since when do we workers put up with that treatment?
Money.
Corporations.
Customer Service.
When did workers become slaves to the customer? When did workers have to deduce their own dignity and pride so that the customer will give them their money? It’s sad. And the customer feels that power. With many companies like Wal-Mart going 24 hours, and several other retail chains extending their business hours to make more money…got to be there for the customer wanting to buy that 4 pack of batteries at 9am. All in the hopes of making more money. I blame the consumer and the corporate hound-dogs who kneel at their feet. When does someone finally put their foot down and say, “No. We open at 10am. Wait.” And Black Friday, don’t even get me started. The whole idea of Black Friday is asinine. The stuff that is marked down usually isn’t that great, most of the time it’s a BF exclusive (so it’s probably a piece of poo), and people lose sleep, Thanksgiving dinner with their family, and camp out for these “great” deals.
I’m a sucker for online shopping though. And I’ll close with that.

Awareness

May 14, 2011 Alex Matsuo

This has been a thought that has been on my mind for the last two weeks. I was in a meeting with some people discussing an upcoming production, just to watch. I was a guest in the room so I was keeping to myself and observing the people around me. That was when I saw it: a bug. It looked like a hybrid between an earwig and a tiny spider. It was gross. It was crawling across the table in front of me. I was still listening to a donor boast about their recent donation to the arts, but my mind was fixed on the creature ahead of me. The woman who was sitting where the creature was didn’t even notice it. It began to crawl on her thermos. Still, nothing. She didn’t notice. I became fascinated. Wasn’t she aware that there was a creepy hybrid creature crawling on her thermos? Instead of saying anything, I just sat there and wondered how long it would take her to notice the creature. The creature has proceeded to crawl on her FINGER, up the arm and now it was on her shoulder. I suppose I should have said something by now but I figured, if she hadn’t noticed the bug by now, it was her own fault. The creature crawled onto the chair, through the carpet and found a hole in the wall to escape through. See? No harm done.
After that little experiment, I began to observe around me the awareness of other people. The digital age has made it much worse. Since our cellphones have come to the point of controlling our cars and the alarm systems in our homes, why would a person look up from their phone? Why bother to refrain from texting while we are driving? Why refrain from answering a phone call on a date? I’m guilty of the above situations I’ve mentioned (except for the date scenario). I admit it. But now I’m aware I do it.
Hey, I can see my house on Google Maps!
Then another event happened that reminded me of the awareness topic. A friend of mine just recently had a baby, and there were no photos yet of the new little one. Eager friends started posting on her wall for pictures of the new baby. I sort of giggled at the situation because I knew eventually there would be pictures and since childbirth isn’t necessarily the most relaxing experience, she would be busy and I would see this bundle of joy eventually. I sarcastically and jokingly stated on a wall post, “It isn’t like she’s busy with a newborn or anything.” To which one of the mom’s replied, “ok…I realize that they are busy with a newborn…but this is 2011 and everyone has a camera on their phone…take a pic and then when you have a sec…I don’t know grabbn a cup of coffee or something…” I didn’t quote the entire passage just because it includes the baby’s name, etc. ANYWAY, this made me laugh because I really believe someone needs to invent the sarcasm font so that there isn’t misunderstandings. But then I returned to my serious self and began to think about 2011 and the idea of technology. Is it at our service, or are we really its slave?
Since when do we have to upload pictures and update our hundreds of friends on our daily lives? Some people are becoming just as bad as spammers with the constant bugging for updates on life, posting their statuses every hour, etc. Spammers are easier to deal with because I can just delete the email. 🙂 And since when did our lives revolve around Facebook? Goodness, you can even update your MySpace with Facebook now. You can update your Facebook from your car! Since when did Facebook become the dictator of our personal lives? When did the Internet become so invasive? I’m talking to you Google Maps, Spokeo, BeenVerified.com and WebMii…just to name a few. I supposed back in the day before computers, one could visit the library or the office of public records and try to find the same information. But the internet has made it easier.
I know what you’re going to say, “But Google Maps makes it so much easier to get to places now!” or “I can stay in touch with people from elementary school!”
Here’s what I think…I’ll pick on Facebook for a second. Facebook makes us lazy when it comes to communication. It’s an ironic statement. But think about it. I don’t have to call my best friend in Oklahoma to find out what’s new in her life. I can go to Facebook, and she can go to my Facebook. But she’s awesome and I enjoy talking to her so I call her anyway. But what about my more casual friends? How many times have we skipped a long story by saying, “Just check my Facebook.”? I have about 1001 friends. I’m a little disgusted at myself. I know about half of them thanks to my line of work and my various activities in my personal life. But why that many friends? And you know someone is completely done with you when they DELETE you from their friends list, oh my! And Facebook pretty much gives permission to crazy moms to update the world with TMI worthy postings about their babies…fondly made fun of on my favorite website, STFU, Parents.
If I remember correctly, Skynet became self-aware on April 19th, 2011.
Our phones are smarter than us. We use them for directions, for information, for pictures, etc. What did we do before we had cellphones? I know it’s crazy to even think back to before we had cellphones or even back to the “trendy” Nokia phones with their gray and black pixelated screen with the coolest game on the planet…Snake. Cellphones have come a long way since I was an undergrad in college. I’m 25 so it wasn’t even that long ago! And with cameras on cellphones, goodness gracious! My Newsfeed is filled with photos of meals, drunken nights in the clubs, people tanning at the beach, or self-portraits in the bathroom.
Technology is out of control, in my most humble opinion.
I’m presenting a challenge to myself, and I invite you to join me if you’re up for it. I’ll start in baby steps. Update your status once a day. Post one link a day…maybe more if the material is either hilarious or absurdly profound. Only take pictures of incredibly awesome and rare moments (so no pictures of your lunch, or of you drunk in the club).
They don’t call it a challenge for nothing.
But anyway, back to my title…Awareness. Because of these cool new gadgets, it makes us even more unaware of the world around us and our surroundings. And these gadgets are combining forces which makes them even more powerful. And we keep feeding the machine. We would rather risk getting into a car accident by answering a text immediately. Something is wrong.
Now I shall depart so I can post this link on Facebook. Ah…the cycle continues.