Masks

Over the last few weeks I've started this myspace thing. I just joined myspace so that I could view Rie Rasmussen's photographs. She is such a chameleon I wondered if she put pix on her site that wouldn't be elsewhere. And there were a few personal photos along with the mostly pix of her career. But there were also small things about herself, her interests, her ambitions, her creativity. I commented on a few of her pictures. I feel kind of weird because I've never developed the "social skills" necessary to be able to make cliché comments. I actually sound more like a "review" commentary, or how I sound to myself critiquing my own pix. As I go about this web world I'm trying to get more bland and indistinct while still sounding like I actually looked at that particular picture. One music guy I made a "friend request" to could tell I actually listened to the (HIS) music! He sounded surprised.

Anyway, originally, after being on myspace for more than a month I got an email from a photographer asking why I only had one friend? Well, I had looked at Rie's site and I was done, I thought. But his question made me curious, so I started looking around. I saw other model sites and ran into a yoga site by Tara Stiles. In my learning curve, of social etiquette I was as awkward as ever. Made "friends" with a couple of models and tried to not be too dorky or direct(and so offensive). Not an easy task for me! Going forward when I talk or write to anyone I'm trying to imagine that right behind my shoulder is her Daddy, with a baseball bat. I think it might help!

As far as my site, I was developing the concept of what I wanted, changing every time I saw something I liked on the hundreds of sites I visited. Along the way I found MUSIC! Holy S#%$#%$t! Musicians everywhere! CMT even did their awards show as myspace video cams. Hosted my Taylor Swift no less! Gosh, she sings purdy! So now, a couple of weeks later, I've got more music friends than models. I can click on any of my friends and spend some time in music heaven. Of course, with all the garage bands out there I had to be selective... And with models doing "in and out of re-hab" photo albums when they are still teenagers, well, that is a bad scene... (except perhaps Fiona Apple, but she's a bad, bad girl!).

Anyway, a few days ago I watched the 60's Japanese movie, Face of Another. It's all about putting on a mask (literal & figurative) and thus protecting oneself from society and one's inner emotions. Very depressing! let me tell you. As I returned it to the video store I asked for "jolly" flicks, even girly! I picked out The Jane Austen Book Club and they suggested Paris, Je T'aime. Both were on my list. Good choices! Easy watching. Fun. But thought provoking in a way I wasn't expecting. PJT was made up of a dozen 5 minute shorts about people in relationships in Paris. Most were very nice, a couple disturbing. But JABC was way more thoughtful than I had even imagined. The girls (& one guy) talk about the relationships of women trying to find husbands in the early 1800's. They couldn't work or make money so they fully depended on marriage to "support them in the manner in which they had become accustomed". Modern women aren't mostly like that! And many recent movies aren't even boy/girl. JABC sparked my interest in the discussion of relationships in general. And specifically reminded me to develop "public" social skills in this new myspace world. So perhaps I'll read some Jane and get a few pointers on my social "mask", or maybe even ideas about that strange gender. Who knows?