Tag Archive for 'dodo'

Within yourself, you one-time-child, within yourself

drake published on June 3, 2010 in build and transportation. 4 Comments Tags: , , .

As all humans are wont to do, I worry. I think about my past, what I could have done better, what I would have done had I known what doing would do; what I was going to do, had I done something else. All of these past perfects won’t make for a perfect past. I realize now that I am perfectly imperfect. And that’s pretty good.

Reading this, you probably have gmail, facebook or twitter open in another tab. Social Networks are Good Things, especially if you live 11 hours ahead of your friends and family. They allow us to preserve a sense of community, and indeed, continuity within our social lives. But, as with all social interactions, they invite comparison.

I went to journalism school. Print. At the time I was in love with words and what they can do for the world. While this still hods true, my beloved papyrus is going the way of the dodo. So, there’s a scramble to catch the next wave, the grand reboot. I see my peers go to New York to chase their dreams. I harbor envy — “I should be doing that!” I say. But oh, such error.

A particularly sharp piece of National Public Radio is lodged in my cranium, regarding the science of happiness. Therein, a monk gives this chewy soundbite:

“Chase success, and you will be unhappy; chase fulfillment, and you will be happy.”

The reason I went to Prague, and now to Seoul, is to chase my fulfillment. To find my most true self. And I should not see  opportunities lost when viewing others’ actions — I want to rejoice in their successes, not feel jealous of them. Who I wish to be is within myself. I am to be present with me.

And the same goes for you.

"As Famous As The Dodo."

jackson published on October 27, 2008 in Uncategorized. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , , .

From wikipedia:

“The dodo (Raphus cucullatus) was a flightless bird endemic to the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius. Related to pigeons and doves, it stood about a meter tall, weighing about 20 kilograms (44 lb), living on fruit and nesting on the ground.

The dodo has been extinct since the mid-to-late 17th century. It is commonly used as the archetype of an extinct species because its extinction occurred during recorded human history, and was directly attributable to human activity.

The adjective phrase “as dead as a dodo” means undoubtedly and unquestionably dead. The phrase “to go the way of the dodo” means to become extinct or obsolete, to fall out of common usage or practice, or to become a thing of the past.”

Okay, so “dead as a dodo” used to mean that something was gone, baby, gone. Ne’er to return.

Now, it really should mean: “So famous for being absent that it actually comes back to life, albeit in different form.”

Meaning: The dodo is biologically extinct, but culturally bigger than ever.

Witness the above picture, the Muji pop-out DIY dodo.

The Muji dodo is just the most recent entry into a gargantuan heap of dodo-related gear.

There are plush toys:

T-shirts:

Record labels and websites:

Aimee Mann albums:

Porcelain figurines:

Calendars:

Coffee cups:

It goes on and on. These were just the first and quickest things I could find.

Now, “as dead as the dodo” should mean gone AND forgotten, not gone and endlessly reproduced in every conceivable form…

Let me think… Is there a dodo musical?

There is indeed!

Dodo food products? Ummmm… no.

Alright, I’m going to get to work on “Cap’n Jackson’s lightly breaded and fried Dodo Sticks *” and y’all get to work coming up with a new phrase that means what “as dead as the dodo” should mean, m’kay?

How about “as dead as the broad-faced potoroo?” Maybe the problem is that once you call attention to something’s absence, well, it sort of ceases to be entirely absent.

You at home come up with a new phrase, tell it to us and we’ll all spread it around!
One day, you could be “as famous as the dodo.”

Fun with language!

Love to All,

Jackson

* (“Dodo meat” is actually sustainably line-caught herring)