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this is pain boy (he told me to use this picture please dont report me mrs. valentino)

DISCLAIMER: this blog has nothing to do with jayden (at least not yet). is this w clickbait? but while i have your attention, consider reading to the end (that might be about pain boy)


I have my own videotape to show you. Don’t worry, it's not a homicide or anything of that nature. If anything it is peaceful. Plus, it's only 13 seconds long.




That red bird (not sure the same specific one) has been around me for about two years now. How do I know? Well, it seems like every morning in the summer at 6:30am sharp, this northern cardinal loves to be my alarm clock. Its “beeping” is so distinct and is often the first thing I hear when I am awakened from my slumber. 


This week’s blog is not about the bird though. It is about how I captured my alarm clock in action. Behind my phone, I was like the girl — innocently recording. However, unlike the girl, I did not witness violence. But like Don DeLillo described it, I kept on going back to it over and over again. But it wasn’t because I missed anything important, but because the predictability, the stillness, the sound of chirping drew me in. Honestly, there was no reason to rewatch it. The 15 second clip was boring to say the very least. Yet, I kept going back, almost without thinking. Unlike the way Don DeLillo watched the video homicide, it wasn’t suspense that held me there. It was the opposite. There was no outcome to anticipate, no shock waiting at the end. Just a small insignificant moment that piqued my attention.


Maybe that’s what drew me in. In a world where so much recorded footage is intense, chaotic, or meant to grab attention, this clip did none of that. It just existed. And somehow, that made it worth returning to. Maybe just existing is more appealing to people rather than trying to do too much as well (haha…)


My takeaway? The big idea? Sometimes, it’s the simplest moments that last the longest.



Well, that's all for this week. AP exams are too soon. And here’s a shameless plug for my shameless friend pain boy.


(hopefully the picture at the beginning makes sense now)

Comments

  1. Anthony SalemApril 26, 2026 at 12:30 AM

    This is actually really good writing, it’s creative, self-aware, and it clearly understands Videotape without just repeating it. Also W Jayden mewingmaxxer.

    ReplyDelete
  2. LANGonardo Da VinciApril 26, 2026 at 8:40 PM

    Paul, I just wanna say that this blog is perfect–aside from the fact that you used a picture of me to draw attention and to close it, of course. Your comparison of the red bird to Videotapes was immaculate, and the way you tied it to how the simplest moments last the longest was beautiful. Great blog man

    ReplyDelete
  3. Nicole LiApril 27, 2026 at 12:47 AM

    this is a great blog, very high effort, very on theme

    ReplyDelete

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