Meme of the Week - RIP Pepe?

Image by Matt Furie (all rights reserved)
The creator of Pepe the Frog (born 2005) which became a popular internet meme in the years following has officially declared Pepe dead as of earlier this month. This is in response to Trumpistic Alt-Right netizens of the chan-worlds appropriating the formerly laid-back "Feels good man"-exclaiming party frog (2008). 

"Feels good man" metamorphosed into a more existentialist Pepe with the subsequent incarnation exclaiming "Feels bad man" (2009).

 More recently, Pepe metamorphosed into a smugly-smiling frog known as Smug Pepe (below).

 Many more incarnations (some referred to as "Rare Pepes") followed in subsequent years such as the one below referring to the Dirty War in Argentina but also being a variant of Smug Pepe.

 Pepe's most recent evolutionary form has been that of an yellow or orange-haired amphibian champion of Trump (or amphibian representation of same) starting in late 2015 (below is a Trump Tweet) and enduring throughout all of last year during the U.S. Presidential election campaign season as well as since then in 2017.

However, I would argue Pepe is already evolving beyond and past Trump. I would even argue Pepe was many other things during the campaign season but only the Trumpistic versions of him got noticed by the hysterical Liberal mainstream media and political hacks. However, some hyper-sensitive SJW hypochondriacs of politically-correct virtue insist Pepe is now permanently corrupted and to some is even an anti-Semitic symbol of hate.... as if one use of such a widely popular symbol represents all such uses or at least "trumps" all other uses of the meme. That is the sort of broad-stroke-painting that Liberals/Progressives are so eager to condemn when others do it.

Of course, things never die on the Internet. Pepe is still alive and well and continues to rapidly evolve as often as somebody needs him to communicate their ideas, whoever they are, whatever those ideas be. The latest Pepe incarnation I have noticed is "Comfy NEET Pepe"(below) which seems to have appeared in just recent months.

A more recent (as in just weeks old) variation of Comfy NEET Pepe above is his smug-in-the-apocalypse NEET Pepe (below). BTW, NEET stands for Not in Education, Employment, or Training and comes from Great Britain and refers to "losers" to use a Trumpian turn of phrase.

Perhaps the most significant development of all regarding to Pepe the Frog is the ironic/satirical tongue-in-cheek religious cult called the Cult of Kek that has formed around the character based on an oddly cool sequence of coincidences starting in late 2015.

Extraordinary Ordinary World

I first heard the 2000 Aurora trance cover of Duran Duran's 1993 rock gem "Ordinary World" featuring the haunting vocals of the incomparable Naimee Coleman in one of the many electronica mix compilation CDs I picked up in the early 2000s, many of which feature this original track featured above or the Above & Beyond progressive trance remix of it featured below, both of which are utterly amazing and take me back to the Golden Age of trance in the late 1990s and early 2000s. I had the privilege of discovering this genre of electronica in early 2001 in a now-defunct Wherehouse in Atascadero as I previously shared HERE.

Covfefe Coverage

Enough already with this covfefe thing.... I can't stand the guy either, but for chrissakes haven't we all mistyped before? Hell, I'm as bad a pedant as there is on earth and even I sometimes send something out across social networks that my fingers or finger-brain connection garbles. There is plenty to mock about this guy without nitpicking nits. This kind of autistic fuckery on the part of the smug and snarky "progressive" Left is how Trump came to power in the first place.... please don't help him remain in power by seeming to validate the decision by Trump voters to be Trump voters. 

*Note: I have made a few snarky posts here and there myself on social networks about "covfefe", but that did not last long and I do that regarding just about anything containing any humor value.

Picture of the Day - Always a Guard, Never a Groom

Today/tonight, I once again worked a beautiful and romantic wedding, this time at Four Sisters Winery, northeast of Paso Robles. For some reason tonight I found myself thinking about my continued solitary journey through this life and wondering if this is merely temporary or the shape of things to come. Photo by Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved).

Picture of the Day - Dead Deodar

This 90-year-old Deodar Cedar is the oldest tree in the Atascadero Sunken Gardens. According to THIS article the City of Atascadero notes it is in decline and plans to fell it. Today, while I visited the Atascadero Farmers Market, it sure seemed the tree was more than merely in "decline", but rather entirely dead, as in kaput. Photo by Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved).

Ali's Well Scene All Right

Today I played this "Ali's Well" segment from the 1962 cinema classic Lawrence of Arabia to show my students both the tribalism of the period as well as the first rumblings of Arab Nationalism as well as the physical climate and geography of that part of the world as well as the cinematic portrayal of British involvement in Arabia (and subsequently Palestine) in World War One in the context of the current Middle East Conflict unit for my tenth grade world history student teaching placement at Atascadero High School. This is undoubtedly one of the best movie scenes of all time.

Explosively Good Landing

Earlier this month in Mukilteo, Washington, this dramatic small plane crash at a busy intersection was captured on a passenger vehicle's dashcam. It shows the single-engine Piper PA32 careen over the intersection and one of its fuel cells rupture and ignite as it leaves the field of view. Amazingly, the plane did not burn and the pilot and passenger walked away from the crash-landing with no serious injuries and no people on the ground were injured. The old saying, "Any lan

Picture of the Day - Miron Masks

Next month, long-time Atascadero High School teacher John Miron is retiring from teaching science and having started the nationally-recognized robotics program at the school. He began his career in the 1984-1985 school year at AHS and retires at the end of the 2016-2017 school year having served his entire career at the school. Retiring employees were honored at the faculty development meeting after school yesterday. These masks were being handed out as party favors at the short celebration at the end of the meeting, replete with yummy cake. Photo by Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved).

Wall-Falling Wackiness

These people watched the Berlin Wall fall. These are their surprisingly quirky and humorous stories and back-stories. I shared this with my students the last day of the Cold War unit. 

First Fire Chase of 2017

Late this afternoon on the way home from student teaching in Atascadero, I chose to detour and head past my home in Paso Robles and check out a raging wildfire burning on the post of Camp Roberts whose smoke I had been observing late this afternoon from the campus of Atascadero High School. I had assumed it was a second day of prescribed fires on the base following a previously-announced 500-acre prescribed fire there yesterday. While visiting my mom in Atascadero after school I watched the headline of the local television news and watched a live report on a wildfire raging at Camp Roberts that was NOT a prescribed fire but later turned out to be caused by a live-fire exercise on the post of the base. I captured the following images during this, my first fire chase of 2017, whose official name was the Range Incident which at this late hour is reported to have burned about 5,000 acres. I saw a lot of open flame fronts and even sheeting on the west side of the fire adjacent to and just east of the San Antonio River.

View from northbound Highway 101 onramp at south end of Camp Roberts.

View from northbound side of Highway 101 just north of Nacimiento River overcrossing.

View looking southwest from southbound Highway 101.

View northwest from East Garrison Road showing a finger of the fire burning into the wind as a firing operation commences at bottom of screen obscured by the trees.
All photos by Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved)

Not-So-Innocente

This 2001 trance classic "Mr. Sams' The Space Between Us Remix" of Delerium's "Innocente" featuring the haunting vocals of Leigh Nash of Sixpence None the Richer fame  was one of my early favorites when I began listening to trance in 2001. I found trance incredibly therapeutic to what ailed me at the time. I found this rare track on the amazing Delerium remix collection Odyssey: The Remix Collection, the same year. Back in 2012 I shared the Tiesto version of this song HERE.

Faith & Survival

Today I began showing this amazing documentary short to my students as we begin the final unit of the school year. In it we will be discussing the origins and course of the Arab-Israeli conflict including Zionism and the four major Arab-Isreali wars as well as the War on Terror and how European Imperialism and decolonization as well as the Cold War figure in this story. I will ultimately tie this into decolonization and the Cold War and not failing to mention the Treaty of Versailles.

Criminally Good Vibes

I have not shared new music in this space in quite a number of weeks. I'm breaking that drought in grand fashion. I discovered this 2009 progressive house remix of Italian electonica duo Criminal Vibes' 2009 track "Caribe" remixed by Italian deejay Matteo Marini. It keeps growing on me to the point I am now currently obsessed with it. And yes, that unusual instrument you hear being used is an actual mandolin in an actual progressive house track... who knew that could work so well?!
Note: the image in the video is Natural Bridges State Beach near Santa Cruz, CA. 

Picture of the Day - Alone At Night In The "B" Building

Tonight I worked alone late until the 9 o'clock hour at Atascadero High School in my classroom on the second floor of the "B" Building. It was formerly known as the Virginia Black Union High School Building (built in 1921) until the middle 20th century. As I previously stated HERE this building possesses a subtly odd vibe after hours when nobody is around.... if I didn't know better I'd say the place "shines." I got that feeling again tonight when working there after the clerical staff had left for the night and I was there alone. I was utterly unafraid and yet picked up a vibe that the place wasn't entirely vacant of any consciousness apart from my own; something there was aware of me and I could feel it. NOTE: this structure is slated for demolition by decade's end.
Photo by Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved).

Graphic of the Day - Happy Xeno-Momma's Day!

Cow Parade Finale

Today from 1:30-7:30 p.m. I worked parking and security at the San Luis Obispo County Cow Parade. This two-part artistic and fund-raising event started last year at Madonna Inn which I also worked and shared HERE. Today's finale was held at Oyster Ridge Barn in the Ancient Peaks Winery section of the historic Santa Margarita Ranch.

All photos by Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved).

Picture of the Day - Big Bone Finally Home

This afternoon after school I made a quick jaunt over to the coast to pick up a necklace repair made by a friend in Los Osos and to attend an estate sale which included some rocks once belonging to a 90-year-old recently deceased gentleman. By the time I got there most of the best stuff was already gone but I did manage to snag a few things for myself and for friends. I encountered this large chunk of petrified whale bone which I was told by the family was discovered decades ago in the Paso Robles area. In the image above it just came home. I gave it to some dear friends living in the Paso Robles area. The mid-Miocene stonied bone came home. Photo by Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved).

My Sweet Surrender

Today I rediscovered this trance gem while listening to parts of the mix tape Party Time: 2002 Continuous Mix by DJ Escape which parts I had not listened to in years. This cd was released in 2001 and thus the music contained therein is from 2000 or earlier, or in other words, the golden age of trance before it got over-commercialized and raves became less and less a thing. In this track which is a remix of Sarah McLachlan's 1998 hit single "Sweet Surrender", Tiesto or rather his ghost producers DJ Dennis and H.W. Mallon created trance magic for the relatively short but magical time they collaborated. Ignore the prologue and start listening to the magic at about the 1:38 mark and turn up the speakers.