Oct 2007, 151 entries
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naymore — 10 months ago
I just invented a new word, drunkenly.
It is: naymore
It's the opposite of anymore.
If you want to say, "I never wait in line to get new albums on Tuesday night anymore."
You can now say, "I wait in line to get new albums on Tuesday night naymore."
It's that simple.
It's that awesome.
Be sad again naymore. -
completely different — 10 months ago
Today I'm thinking about how all of us have, for the most part, completely different lives. And that everyone else, too, is having a completely different life. Throughout all time. Can we even begin to comprehend? Unlike sound or light, which travel through air, emotions stop before breaking orbit from our own bones and skin. Experiences can never be translated or relayed much beyond our own electromagnetic field. Of course, you can be in the same place at the same time as another person, and that's about as close to sharing as we can get. Even then, unless you're emotionally close as well, you can still be in a completely different world.
Even the people we're close to, or have been close to, unless they're in the same place at the same time, and, ideally, in the same mindset, mood, emotion, and thought-space, are in a completely different world. An alternate universe. No wonder miscommunication happens.
If I could share more of my life more, I would. Wouldn't we all? If we could all be in the same room, at the same time, each experiencing everyone else's experiences, each responding to the same stimulus, would that be better or worse? I mean, it's the variety that keeps us interested in each other in some ways.
I've been thinking about the most important-because-they-were-difficult-or-amazing times of my life recently. Deaths, relocations, gambles, breakups, meetings, bondings. So much is possible with each passing minute, but there are really only a handful of minutes that act as black holes, mountains, explosions that have a big impact on the rest of our lives. I think about the difference between using experiences versus feeling experiences. About people I've used, or been used by, and how that was safe and interesting at the time. Sometimes even good. About people I've let roll over me in torture and enjoyment, and how that was unsafe and full of impact at the time. Can a balance be found? Yes. With one person I've found that golden ticket. With everyone else, I haven't.
This is my third night in a row staying in and thinking about the possibility of sharing. Self-expression is in many ways the highest priority, but it's the ability to share that self (after first discovering it and articulating it) that is the true reward.
When do you feel like you are the most yourself?
When do you feel like you are your best self?
When do you feel the most understood?
When do you feel the most vulnerable?
When do you feel happiest?
When do you feel most?
Who the fuck are you? -
art and six degrees of separation — 10 months ago
Person A and Person B get divorced in 2003.
Person B and Person C move to New York City.
Person C and Person D kinda sorta date for a while.
Person D introduces Person C to Person E.
Person E introduces Person C to Person F.
Person B marries Person G.
Person F becomes good friends with Person B and Person G.
Person C moves to California, then back to Seattle.
Person A and Person C start an art gallery and bar.
Person E is an investor in the art gallery and bar, called McLeod Residence.
Person E flies Person F out to Seattle for an opening.
Person A and Person F meet, fall in love, and get engaged.
Person C curates a show of Person B's paintings at McLeod Residence.
Person B and Person G are in town for the opening this week.
That show's opening, called Fixed Value, is this Thursday (for members) and Friday (for everyone).
If you're in Seattle, definitely try to come. Friday might be the better of the two nights if you can only come to one. Witness some great art, and also some great social network intricacies. For what it's worth, Person A and Person B are getting along pretty great at the moment. And Person A does think the show is going to be excellent.
(For the sake of "simplicity", Person A left out a bunch of other weird connections in this story.) -
My dad — 10 months ago
My dad
Originally uploaded by Buster Butterfield McLeodMy sister sent me this picture of him since I don't have any in digital form.
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@ Flickr
My dad — 10 months ago
Buster Butterfield McLeod posted a photo:
He passed away on this day in 1993, 14 years ago. I wrote something.
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14 years ago... — 10 months ago
My father passed away from complications of a relapsed bout of lung cancer 14 years ago today. I remember being called in from track and field practice with a call from my grandfather saying he was going to come pick me up because they thought my dad was not going to make it much longer. He had been in the hospital approximately 3 months. Fires were burning in southern California as they are now. I was applying to colleges and thinking about moving away from home. I had just recently become a Christian (which actually happened before I knew my father had cancer again).
My sister's 29th birthday was yesterday. On October 29th, 1993, we were in the hospital and my father was barely conscious. We exchanged words by him typing on a small calculator-sized computer screen. I remember him asking how long he'd been in the hospital. We said 3 months and he said that it seemed like he had been there for years, that he had lost track of time. He knew he wasn't going to make it. The doctors said he was the most peaceful and calm patient they had seen in a long long time. He talked about a safe place he had found in his dreams that he went to for strength. He asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up and I told him I would win the Nobel Peace Prize (something he had always wanted to do with his work in robotics). At the time I was thinking of being a genetic biologist. One of his last gestures was to have the nurses bring in a birthday cupcake for my sister for her birthday and he wished her a happy birthday. He said he was holding on so that we would live past her 15th birthday and not ruin the day for her.
We each had time to talk to him while he was still conscious. We all loved him so much. I witnessed a conversation between my mom and him about their last romantic date that past summer... a Moody Blues concert (which we were playing in the hospital room as well). Two out of his three sisters were able to fly in before he fell back into a coma later that night. I talked to him long after he was in a coma, talked about all of my favorite memories with him, and how much I admired him my entire life. He was the perfect father. Around 2 or 3 AM I took a nap in the car in the hospital garage.
Around 10am we were summoned in again because his blood pressure and heart rate were dropping. We all witnessed the several hours long slow descent into that state of final rest. I was amazed that there was never an off switch... it was just a slow drop in blood pressure, and heart rate, and eventually brain activity. I don't know what else to say. Now I'm crying at work. Today I celebrate the memory of my father and the chance to live life to the fullest with friends and family. -
Consumed "Giant Robo - Economy Pack" — 10 months ago
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Buster and Ingo — 10 months ago
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New exhibit at McLeod Residence opening this Friday! — 10 months ago
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Buster M. @ MOE Bar — 10 months ago
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My body assessment — 10 months ago
Buster McLeod added an entry about do slow weights for a year:
I asked about getting as many metrics and numbers to chart my progress as possible. So they sent me to the chiropractor downstairs for a free body assessment this morning. They measured inflammation of the spine, muscular imbalance, and made pretty drawings.
The doctor also measured my neck, biceps, thighs, chest and stomach circumferences. Now I have numbers that I can check every couple months to see if this exercise really is having any good impact.
I’m a pretty wimpy dude. I always have been. So, feel free to laugh at my numbers. I gotta start somewhere though, and I know everyone’s got various things that they’re insecure about. I just happen to post mine on the internet.
- Neck: 35.5 cm
- Chest: 91.5 cm
- Waist: 80 cm
- Right Thigh: 50 cm
- Left Thigh: 45 cm
- Right Calf: 38 cm
- Right Bicep: 28.5 cm relaxed, 30.5 cm flexed
- Left Bicep: 25 cm
I weigh about 157 and have about 11% body fat according to my fancy scale at home. I don’t know what my blood pressure is at the moment, but I have results from a couple months ago that I might post here too.
Basically, I want to gain about 10-15 pounds of healthy weight. I want to stop being underweight and out of shape. The weights I’m at are sort of unstable right now since they’re still trying to figure out where I’m at. I think I’m currently doing 160 on the leg press, 100 on the pull-down, 95 on the weird back machine, and 175 on the one where I pull forward. I could be way off though. I’ll keep better track once they figure out the real weights I should be at.
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Chicken — 10 months ago
tricks07313.jpg
Originally uploaded by Blush PhotoI'm not very good at Halloween. It stresses me out. I'm not a good costume-maker or even costume-comer-upper. But the last couple years I tried to rally and do something that at least "passes". This year I was going to be myself as a ghost, or "ghost Buster" but I didn't know if a ghost me would have white hair, or blue hair, and anyway, wigs are too expensive and they don't really make boy-hair wigs. I did like the idea of being all dressed in white though, and when I ended up stealing Clarita's hat the other night I decided I'd be a hipster polar bear spirit animal ghost. It passed. Hanging out with Andy and Ingo was fun because Andy had a CRAZY costume that everyone loved. And Ingo was a sexy hobosexual hoboerotic and I got to bop people with her bindle.
One highlight of the night was my long interview with someone dressed as a Seattle Times reporter. I was talking about sea creatures and politics and didn't realize she was a real reporter until much later when we were doing whippets in a party bus with her.
Another highlights was this free chicken. I hadn't eaten all night. Up until then people didn't know if I was a polar bear or a baby seal. I figured that I would either drown in whiskey or get clubbed and either way it would be fun. But everyone knows that only polar bears eat chickens. -
@ Flickr
EMG scan of my back — 10 months ago
Buster Butterfield McLeod posted a photo:
He said I have a textbook normal back. And that he hasn't seen a back this normal in his office ever.
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@ Flickr
Thermal scan of my back — 10 months ago
Buster Butterfield McLeod posted a photo:
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tricks07240.jpg — 10 months ago
Blush Photo posted a photo:
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tricks07238.jpg — 10 months ago
Blush Photo posted a photo:
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tricks07239.jpg — 10 months ago
Blush Photo posted a photo:
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tricks07313.jpg — 10 months ago
Blush Photo posted a photo:
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@ Flickr
The rag tag pre-funk — 10 months ago
Buster Butterfield McLeod posted a photo:
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@ Flickr
"Look drunk!" — 10 months ago
Buster Butterfield McLeod posted a photo:
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MY STORY
I changed my name from Erik Benson to Buster McLeod on the flip of a coin in September of 2006. I live in Seattle, WA. I'm co-founder of The Robot Co-op (self-help internet startup) and, recently, McLeod Residence (art gallery and club house — learn about membership). I wrote a book called Man Versus Himself. I believe life is art. I believe in doubling down on big living, big loving, big risk, and big change.
I have a manifesto of 12 things you can do to make your life more interesting. They are:
- You must not dilly-dally.
- You must be your word.
- You must have good intentions.
- You must admit to being the maker of meaning.
- You must not feel sorry for yourself.
- You must have a vision that you are striving for.
- You must tie creativity and experimentation with survival.
- You must be the change.
- You must rally others with your vision.
- You must stake your reputation on your better self.
- You must be responsible for your own failure and success.
- You must be comfortable with big failure.
STATISTICS
| Identifies as: | Male |
| Myers Briggs: | ENTP |
| Relationship: | Engaged to Kellianne Scanlan |
| Birthday: | May 28th, 1976 (Gemini) |
| Smoke/Drink: | No / Yes |
| Completed: | |
| Visited: | |
| Consumed: | |
| Listening to: |
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| Contact me: |
WHERE I LIVE
Friend me on Facebook for status, Myspace for bulletins,
Live Journal for protected entries,
43 People for real-life symmetry,
Facebook for status,
Dodgeball for stalking, and
Twitter for periodic nonsense. Get the whole shebang by subscribing to my RSS feed.
