So...

I am going back to Sacramento at the end of September and cannot wait! I am hoping the weather here in the UK holds out until then and I can enjoy an extended summer / autumn until the New Year! Out of everything that California has to offer, I think I am most looking forward to revisiting my love for In n Out Burger. Back in Janurary last year I made this video of myself eating an 8x8 and am from today preparing myself to step it up to perhaps a 10x10 or even a 12x12. For those of you who also enjoy this fantastic West Coast burger establishment and do not always find yourselves propinquitous to all it offers, might I urge you to revel in Kenji Lopez's meticulous breakdown of an animal style double-double at A Hamburger Today. Other than that, I just found out that...

I write like
H. P. Lovecraft

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

Next time...

try this. When it's super hot out, rather than having an adequately chilled bottle of Dr. Pepper at hand from your fridge, why not put said bottle in the freezer? After a lengthy and unbiased testing stage, I have concluded that freezing a 2 litre bottle of the delicious liquid (from store / room temperature) for two hours offers the absolute perfect coldness. Reeefreshing!

Wow

Justin Vernon, the man behind Bon Iver and other musical guises, is amazing. There is pretty much nothing better than finding new music that resonates so deep so immediately. For me, this does just that. Wow.

LOST

Back in 2005 I started, somewhat reluctantly, watching the first season of LOST. At the time it was hugely popular and I think I felt it had somewhat of a bandwagon following; not something I was too keen to become a part of.

Regardless, I have to admit I enjoyed it immensely and was subsequently hooked. After Sky One was axed from my Cable provider mid season two, I resorted to watching each series in the Autumn after it was released on DVD. This went on until the end of season five last year when I alerted my girlfriend to the show. I proceeded to watch, in its entirety, the whole show i.e. seasons 1-5 all over again and once more, I was not disappointed... In fact, I felt it bestowed on me an almost encyclopedic knowledge of the show's multi-faceted nature.

As season 6 (the final season) ends this month, I will have to say goodbye to a show that has occupied my life for months at a time for the past five years - I will definitely miss it! Having not written on here (again) for a long time and with the season finale in sight, I felt it fitting to offer my breakdown on how I see things shaping up in these final few hours of entertainment. Before reading on, and if you have not watched season six or still plan to start the whole show from season one, I advise perhaps averting your eyes...

So where are we? With the demise of Sayid, Jin and Sun in 'The Candidate', we are left with three remaining candidates: Jack, Sawyer and Hurley. Flocke (i.e. fake John Locke - aka the Man In Black or MIB) has made it clear that he will endeavor to kill these remaining guardians of the island to aid his personal liberation from it's so-called 'cork' effect imprisoning him there. Indeed, the logic has remained solid throughout - MIB cannot kill the candidates himself, he needs to find other means just as he had to have Ben kill Jacob at the end of season five. Hence, confining them all to the sub with a bomb that they ultimately detonate themselves. What, however (or who), is not allowing the MIB to kill the candidates remains a mystery as does the effects of what will happen to the MIB should he do something to them.

So, my questions and short answers going into these final three episodes are as follows...

1) Who or what is the young blood-stained boy haunting the MIB? My thoughts: He is an entity above both Jacob and the MIB. He appears to age leading some to suggest he is Jacob reincarnated yet his cheeky, 'I'm in charge' grin exhibited a couple episodes back would perhaps suggest he is indeed a higher being.

2) Who will takeover as the new 'Jacob'? My thoughts: Sayid, before being blown to smithereens, informed Jack that 'it's going to be you'. Whether there is weight to this statement or not is yet to be answered, although all fingers do appear to be pointing in Jack's direction.

3) What's happened to Desmond and what is his significance? My thoughts: Desmond has always been both an interesting and hugely popular character on the show and I feel the writers would be ill-fated to dispose of him haphazardly. We have seen his Jacob-like power in bringing the characters together in the flash-sideways timeline, but how important this will end up being is again another question. After being electromagnecuted (yes, that's what I'm calling it), something has definitely happened to him and he appears somewhat enlightened and evidently immune to the MIB's intimidating advances. I think we have a lot more to see from him yet...

I think that's enough Q&A for now. I know the title of this week's episode and what it will broadly cover so hope it should shed a lot of light on all the questions we have up to this point. Until then, we will just have to ponder...

Jonty x

Greenophobia

I feel that I have a perfectly legitimate excuse for my lack of postings on this blog; my dissertation. Whilst I am only 5000 words into the requested 8-10k word paper, it has admittedly consumed me. Before class began last September I decided it was something I wanted to do and went to my advisor with the aim of addressing Coca Cola Corp's take on the wonderful notion of corporate social responsibility. Come November, with nothing written, and two more meetings with my advisor I began to debate whether Coca Cola's ethical doings were indeed where I wanted to take my discussion. Then I read this.

I guess I've had somewhat of turnaround with regard to what I'm writing now. In effect--and when this piece of work is handed in--I'll have a sort of green marketing framework. I'm yet to fully decide on a title for my dissertation but I definitely want it to suggest an analysis or recognition if you will of the interface between marketing and the myriad of green issues we currently face. Even those without a specifically academic background in marketing theory could tell me that such an interface, through common sense, flags up a few problems. One wants us to consume more (and indeed fuels it) whilst the other wants us to consume less. I guess that's exactly what I want to answer though...

Perhaps when I'm done I'll make it available on here as PDF? Let me know if you're interested!

Jonty x