My name is Cassandra Burke and The Carbon Freeze is a personal blog made for the purpose of hosting my miscellaneous writing prompts and various art projects. (Hence the tagline, Eclectic Essays and Art.) I don’t think we have a whole lot of time left in the world, and especially in such circumstances, I don’t believe in holding back who I am for fear of being judged. I’d like to use this blog as a way to discuss what interests me and share cool stuff I don’t see anyone else talking about. I realize my interests are niche and my perspective is unorthodox…but maybe that’s what the world needs. And if not, getting stuff off my chest to no one in particular makes me feel better. So, while this site will mostly consist of me just shouting into the digital void, I hope at least some of what I have to say might be of interest to others as well. If you’re like me and think differently, you’re not alone.
The name of the site refers to the concept of preserving my thoughts and, in a sense my life, by publishing them. (“Carbon” as in life, “Freeze” as in preservation.) It can also refer to the idea of a person trapped in a state of inaction through contemplation or anxiety–conditions I can very much relate to. The genesis of the term “carbon freeze” comes from The Empire Strikes Back: I just thought the phrase sounded so cool. When the time came to name this place, that was the first thing that came to mind. I always found it to be a strangely poetic term, nonsensical but ominous.
The logo of the site, at first glance, is the symbol of the element Carbon and a snowflake, but if you look at it from a 90 degree angle, it can also be a plant growing out of a vase. And if you look at it from a 270 degree angle it could be a Metroid, presumably frozen by an Ice Beam. And if you look at it from a 180 degree angle it’s a backwards “C” with a snowflake. It’s all about looking at things from a new perspective, interpreting what’s around you in a unique way, and that’s the desired characteristic of the writing in this blog. I want to encourage people to see things in a new way and stop taking the world for granted.
I happen to be interested primarily in political science and history as well as classic films, music and nostalgic TV shows. So most posts will be organized into those two categories, Political Reactions and Media Analyses, respectively. Anything else, you can expect to find in the third category, Thoughts & Memories. Just to give you an idea of what to expect, directly below are a list of the specific topics I have or hope to cover over the course of this blog’s lifespan, organized by category:
Political Reactions
The purpose of this section is primarily to discuss political science topics and American history. I will begin with an examination of terms and the spectrum beyond just Left and Right. Then I will take a look at some primary debates from both major parties, general election debates from every cycle and some from Third Parties. I will share my commentaries for every convention speech from all major candidates, all election night speeches, inaugural addresses, farewell speeches and assorted campaign stump speeches. Perhaps at some point in the future I will do the State of the Union Addresses as well. I will try to keep my thoughts centered on each candidate’s campaign strategy, style, use of rhetoric and overall strength of oration. I will not lie to you and say that my personal biases won’t shine through at times, but I will not publish unfair hit pieces or puff pieces based on party affiliation alone. I will do my best to praise and criticize candidates in both parties honestly, and according to their perceived strengths and weaknesses. I will also present my ideas for Constitutional Reforms America might consider and lay out my own political values.
Media Analyses
I love classic films, 60s-70s classic rock, disco (yes, really), 90s videogames as well as good TV drama and books. I grew up on ’90s Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network, so I have some thoughts to express on those programs as well. I will share my “collection” of obscure ’65-’75 albums, and some multi-part dissections of my two favorite works of art in any medium: Brian Wilson’s SMiLE and Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo. However, for every piece of media I review that’s already earned its respect, such as The Great Gatsby, there will be an earnest look at something overlooked such as Just For Kicks, as well as Femina Ridens and My Sister Leni among others.
Thoughts & Memories
I predict that this will be the least populated category. This is where I’ll share some personal anecdotes about things which don’t neatly fit into either of the previous two. For example, I like history and would love to talk about Ancient Rome, but I don’t have enough distinct anecdotes planned at this time to make that its own dedicated category. I have personal artistic projects like poems and collages I plan to share as well. I will delve into topics as important as religion to those as trivial as imaginary friends. Given time, if I’m comfortable doing so, I may also weigh in on some general topics which hit home for me, like schoolyard bullying and things of that nature.
This category will also be host to a series of tongue-in-cheek streams of consciousness inspired by major holidays.
Featured Editorials & “Stickied” Posts
The “Featured Editorials” section contains four directories comprised of links to each segment of my long-form essays. These include my political reform ideas, analyses of Vertigo and SMiLE as well as a glossary of political science terms as they fit within a new multi-axis model of the spectrum of my own design.
The posts I’ve chosen to “sticky” to the top of the front page are additional hubs to provide quick access to other blog posts based on common themes. These being: my favorite pieces of media, Aquarian Age stuff, as well as the aforementioned political debate and speech analyses.
the Carbon Freeze 