{"id":5639,"date":"2005-03-02T11:33:54","date_gmt":"2005-03-02T19:33:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ikillspies.com\/blog\/2005\/03\/02\/5639\/"},"modified":"2005-03-02T11:33:54","modified_gmt":"2005-03-02T19:33:54","slug":"livestrong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.ikillspies.com\/?p=5639","title":{"rendered":"LiveStrong"},"content":{"rendered":"

There is this fad here in San Francisco of wearing these rubber bracelets… so here’s my story:<\/p>\n

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I was in a cafe eating breakfast with Samir. We were working on a script or something, and waiting to get into The Black Rider, when I notice he has a yellow rubber bracelet on. Inscribed in the bracelet are the words “LIVE STRONG,” in big block letters.<\/p>\n

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“Okay, okay,” I interrupt Samir, “what is the deal with the bracelet?”<\/p>\n

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AARON: this is going to be some form of self-denial isn’t it<\/p>\n

AARON: is it a reminder to avoid premarital sex?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Samir rolls his eyes- “oh this… it’s Lance Armstong’s charity<\/a>. They were giving them out at the club last night.”<\/p>\n

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I’m not sure about the rest of the country, but Lance Armstrong is sort of a celebrity in the Bay Area, and has been for a while now, even before winning all these bicycle races… I think the reason is because cycling is getting more popular here, and the cancer aspect appeals to the more health-minded west coast attitude. But that is just a theory.<\/p>\n

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Samir was telling me, “these bracelets are really popular… in fact I bet other people in this room are wearing them.”<\/p>\n

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I look around… sure enough, the woman at the next table has one on too. The guy she’s eating with… also has one on.<\/p>\n

\nI look behind me-<\/p>\n

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AARON: i keep expecting this to turn into a scene from Invasion of The Body Snatchers<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

the people at the next table also are wearing them. I look around faster and faster- everyone in the room is wearing these damn things except for me.<\/p>\n

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It was exactly the opportunity for the Hitchcock shot- where the camera dollies in and zooms out at the same rate- the subject in the center of the frame stays the same size, but the background recedes from the person, giving an impression of alienation and being isolated. <\/p>\n

\nMeanwhile violins do the pizzacatto noise you hear when something creepy and frequently spider-related happens in horror or action movies- plink plink plink plink!<\/p>\n

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So anyway… it’s a SF fad. There are other colors now too, for different causes.<\/p>\n

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Today I ordered a spoof one from LIVE WRONG<\/a> – it’s black of course. I was thinking of having a bunch of these made with a brief nihilistic slogan on them, but it was too obvious an idea and it looks like these guys have done a great job anyway.<\/p>\n

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Oh, just to reassure you that nothing has a happy ending, you know who makes a killing off of the LIVE STRONG bracelets? Nike, since I hear they make the bands. So when you buy the yellow band… you are supporting child labor! Yaaay!<\/p>\n

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