So, over the past few weeks, I had to write a paper about the book that I read. A ten page paper. Now, considering the content of the book, this meant one of two things:
Kidding! The only real option was ever jungle juice! So this is how my nights would go, more or less, for about 5 scattered days: 1. Open microsoft word. 2. Write a few sentences, get bored/distracted. 3. Open fridge, pour a cup of jungle juice left over from the weekend. 4. Write a couple paragraphs/pages, call it a day. I'd say that I did a pretty good job of keeping the spirit of the book going while writing. Even better, it was actually coherent! I think I'm a much more proficient reader than writer, because I tend to do it more voluntarily and therefore have more practice with it. But I have to say, I made a pretty kick-ass metaphor. Here's a taste:
"...both characters’ brains are completely overwhelmed by the massive stress of chemical bombardment. All of the necessary ingredients have been added, and they are in the oven, the near-magical place where mysterious things happen and what comes out is completely different than that which was put in."
You see, the paper mainly focused on how the characters essentially replaced all food with drugs and alcohol.
(you are what you eat)
So, I was just browsing the web looking for illustrations by Ralph Steadman that were awesome and/or relevant to a point I might want to make. I came across this site that was just littered with delicious imagery, though some of it was thoroughly disturbing. Here are nice kit-cats that have nothing to do with my paper:
The rest of that website can be found here
See how easily I get distracted? That is why it took me a long time to write/drink my paper. Maybe if I add in an excerpt from my paper here, no one will notice that I completely just went on a tangent.
"There is in fact a lot of nakedness, mostly in the hotel rooms, but there is not a sexual undertone to any of it; the main meaning of it is an expression of vulnerability. The drugs have rendered the users minds susceptible to their environment’s powers of suggestions in terms of how their trip will go, good or bad, and when naked the body is similarly exposed. It would have been all too easy for Thompson to incorporate wild sexcapades into this crazy text, but I’m glad he didn’t take it in that direction."
I was really just excited to be able to use the word "sexcapades" in a meaningful way, that actually related to what I was writing. It was a first as far as using it in 'something my teacher is supposed to read'.
Seriously, though, can you even imagine what life would be like if you were jacked up on drugs 24/7? I feel like I would be much lower functioning than HST or any of the characters he writes as. They drove cars while hallucinating, without dying. I can barely drive as is! Seriously glad my boyfriend is obsessed with cars/driving. I don't think it would be a good idea to try and test out that kind of lifestyle, it seems too dangerous to apply the old 'don't knock it till you try it' mentality. Though if you are going to do a lot of drugs, you might as well do a lot of cool things, like petting grown tigers and skydiving, because you're probably going to die soon anyway. Kind of like terminally diseased people, but as a lifestyle choice.
I think that about sums it up. The title of this post is a link to the paper, in case you want to read it. And with that, I'd say this semester is officially over: no more exams or assignments! Have a good day (I know I will).
