Archive for the Observation Category

‘Sometimes… you cannot win. But that has nothing to do with losing.”

Posted in Observation, Real Men, Statement of intention with tags , , , , , , , on April 26, 2014 by Jarrod Boyle

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“Where there’s discomfort there’s fear… in these very tough positions, you’re in a little piece of hell. And through this daily suffering you learn to survive in these situations. You have to find comfort in uncomfortable situations. You have to be able to live in your worst nightmare.

“Jiu Jitsu puts you completely in the moment where you must have complete focus on finding a solution to the problem. This trains the mind to build that focus, to increase your awareness, your capacity to solve problems. Sometimes, you don’t have to win. You cannot win. But that has nothing to do with losing.”

– Rickson Gracie.

A Jerry-Rig of Presumption and Dumb Will

Posted in Observation, Pretensions toward cultural theory, Reading, Real Men on April 22, 2014 by Jarrod Boyle

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“But who is that on the other side of you?”

-T.S. Eliot,

The Waste Land.

For seven of its eight episodes, the first season of True Detective was some of the best television I have seen to date. I prefer to forget the final episode because it was so shithouse, but that’s another story. The series really hits its straps at the end of episode 3 with Rustin Cohle’s monologue, visible here.

The show has the three features present in all ‘great’ films and t.v. shows; Continue reading

Patron Saint

Posted in Observation, Reading, Real Men, Statement of intention on March 23, 2014 by Jarrod Boyle

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“When I came home: on the abyss of the five senses, where a flat sided steep frowns over the present world, I saw a mighty Devil folded in black clouds, hovering on the sides of the rock, with corroding fires he wrote the following sentence now perceived by the minds of men, & read by them on earth.

How do you know but ev’ry Bird that cuts the airy way,
Is an immense world of delight, clos’d by your senses five?”

– William Blake,

The Marriage of Heaven and Hell

Thought for the Day

Posted in Love letters, Observation, Real Men, Statement of intention with tags on March 14, 2014 by Jarrod Boyle

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“If she’s amazing, she won’t be easy. If she’s easy, she won’t be amazing. If she’s worth it, you won’t give up. If you give up, you’re not worthy. Truth is, everybody’s going to hurt you; you just gotta find the ones worth suffering for.”

-Bob Marley, That canny old Rastafarian.

Thanks to Chris Tate for putting me on to this one.

Published!

Posted in Observation, Writing with tags , , , , on March 13, 2014 by Jarrod Boyle

Cover-Island-136-e1394515816623I have contributed an essay to this edition of Island Magazine on the relationship between writing and fighting called, ‘Fighting Words’.

This is the longest feather in my cap so far. Legitimate publication!

You can check it out here:

http://islandmag.com/

Or buy the magazine at Readings Bookstores.

 

nothing which we are to perceive in this world equals the power of your intense fragility

Posted in Love letters, Observation, Real Men, Statement of intention with tags , , , , , on March 12, 2014 by Jarrod Boyle

IMG_0714“She [Heather Locklear] showered me with flowers and I learned to love it. Any guy, I decided, who doesn’t like flowers is insecure about his masculinity.”

– Tommy Lee, The Dirt

The title is taken from the poem ‘somewhere i have never travelled’ by e.e. cummings.

S.E. Hinton: Rumble Fish versus The Outsiders

Posted in Observation, Reading with tags , , , , , , , , , , , on February 27, 2014 by Jarrod Boyle
Hinton in 1968, the year 'The Outsiders' was published. Smart, hot and pigtails.

Hinton in 1968, the year ‘The Outsiders’ was published. Smart, hot and pigtails.

“Raymond Chandler wrote about the man he wanted to be. Dashiell Hammet wrote about the man he was frightened he’d become.”

-James Ellroy. Continue reading

The Civil Rights Movement is not a Thing of the Past

Posted in Observation, Real Men, Statement of intention with tags , , , , on February 13, 2014 by Jarrod Boyle

Taken from news.com.au

AS controversy rages in the US over star footballer Michael Sam’s brave decision to come out, a US sports anchor has delivered an amazing and inspirational speech. Continue reading

Glorious Chaos

Posted in Music, Observation with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on January 25, 2014 by Jarrod Boyle

“What I’ve always loved about heavy metal is that it’s rebel music.”

-Buzz Osborne,

The Melvins

 http://www.avclub.com/article/melvins-buzz-osborne-picks-songs-by-bands-that-wer-200741

I first saw High on Fire at the Soundwave festival in 2010. Continue reading

Zen for Violent Men

Posted in Fitness, Observation with tags , , , , , on January 19, 2014 by Jarrod Boyle

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“Weight training is Zen for violent men.”

-Gregory David Roberts. Continue reading