14: Christmasy, christmas christmas

This sweater is for all those people who didn't get that ugly sweater that epitomises the Christmas season. You're welcome.

It's good when it comes to the holiday season to have low expectations, because, generally, people set them far too high and are always disappointed. This year, I was pleasantly surprised by a nice Christmas day, even by good holiday standards. I spent valuable time with my family and family-to-be, gave and received some nice presents and had a rather jolly time as a whole.

I'm not trying to rub this in the faces of those who didn't have the best day, I'm just glad that I did, because there were many opportunities for things to go wrong, and they didn't. I could go into detail about some of these things, but on the off chance that someone reads this, I wouldn't want offence to be taken--or concern given.

Anyway, among the menagerie of fascinating things that happened today, one thing stood out. Forrest, my absurdly immature and yet strangely wise older brother, made a statement that "crazy" people aren't really crazy. Well, that just sounded down right... crazy. Isn't the definition of crazy crazy? Well, obviously, that wasn't what he was saying. Apparently even people who we would consider mentally unstable have perfectly good reasons to do what they do if you only understand them. Maybe that's just common sense. It kind of runs along the lines that every villain thinks he's in the right (something I learned from creative writing). But it seemed like there was more to it than that. Of course, the real question isn't if someone's crazy, but why, which is what the study of psychology is all for.

He had also said that it is often said that you have to be a little off your rocker to be curious about psychology; that a lot of the time people went into the field because they were confused by themselves. Couldn't normal people just be curious about the field? Maybe people who have everything in order in their personal life don't generally care about those who don't. Of course, that would explain for the "not often" people who get into it.

And to finish this unsatisfying rant, I wish you a good night, and don't let the bed bugs bite.

Thirteen: Did Someone Say Gonzo Journalism?

So, some uncle by the name of Jonathan was kind enough to read my blog and I went ahead and ignored him. Well, until now.

A little while ago, as some of you guys know, I had my wisdom teeth removed. Not oodles of fun, but if I hadn't, I wonder if I'd ever discovered Gonzo Journalism? During one lonely, painful evening, I decided to watch this little movie called Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. All I knew at the time was that it had Johnny Depp in it, and really, that was all I needed to want to watch it. The movie was, to say the least, interesting. Besides it being interesting though, I soon found out that it was also based on a true story. Apparently, some guy by the name Hunter S. Thompson decided to take just the seemingly purposeless, drugged-up journey portrayed in the movie (which was quite outstanding seeing as they didn't die from the huge amount of drug over doses) and write about it.

But let's start at the beginning so I don't spoil the fun stuff yet. All my stories are told in the Oessnich version, so bare with me. ^_^ Hunter S. Thompson had written an article even before Fear and Loathing titled The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved. When I heard that name, I wasn't overly impressed, but when I read it and realised it was supposed to be journalism, my curiosity was piqued. (You can read it here) Afterwards, I found the Wikipedia page on something called Gonzo Journalism: a type of journalism characterised by being "written subjectively, often including the reporter as part of the story via a first-person narrative." Now, maybe it's just me, but that sounds fantastic. Journalism that isn't just about the facts, but how they were found and containing the author's opinion. And, of course, the freedom of embellishing the story with some fiction... you could make anything awesome like that.

Hunter S. Thompson might not be the best role model, but he was definitely onto something great, albeit accidentally, when he wrote that little article for Scanlan's Monthly. I don't think I'll be following his example when it comes to most things in his life, but with a new notebook and a trip to Memphis, I might just try my hand at the Gonzo style. Even after getting half way through Fear and Loathing, I'm still not quite sure how to do it, but the experience is the fun part, right? Trial and error. Maybe I'll end up creating my own style in the process.