I just found a juice box! Awesome...
So, I figured I should write something now that the first writing push is really done (I have more stuff due wens... I'll get to that on wens) The juice box inspired me. The last post was written to a person I know who at one time or another has been obsessed with Welsh, hope you enjoyed it :). So had the fam over on the break, did stuff, ate stuff, and things, you know the norm. Asile was home which was nice except she didnt make time to hang out so I had to pester her here and there to make up for lost time. She did however point me towards some good humorous links which I will share with you here: Link, Link, Link, Link, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
But back to the heart of the matter, the title of the post. It's a good movie, go find it and see it. Stars the Shaun of the Dead guy and that chick from Spiderman... Mary Jane I think was her name.
To my beloved readers... and no one in specific or particular. Quite frankly my dear, you all bother me on some level, some more than others and in differing and unusual ways, but its worth it, your good people and I'd not trade you for another person who hurts me less... I'd just get them too since its a no loss gain... But please read between the lies and understand the truth that I cannot write. I mean lets face it, without you I would just be some guy who writes things on the internet that no one reads, and who will one day go crazy and honestly believe that he is a magical flying sealion... or maybe a walrus... I AM THE WALRUS! So just don't put up any "do not feed the animals" signs and you and I will get along just fine... Now the funny thing about writing to no one in particular is that I'm sure most, if not all, of you will think I am talking to you. This simply is not true. I am talking to the bearer of the three eyed glass sealion. How much more specific can I get?
Home made pickup line of the day: I have heard that girls like you are a dime a dozen, but I'd pay a whole dollar for you girl.
Well, I'm sure I had more to say... But I say a lot as it is, so I'll let your ears (in this case your eyes) take a nap for a bit while you enjoy the links I provided. That guy is good.
Here's lookin' at you kid.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
The Welsh Connection
Another day, another excuse to write. It's been a while, or at least it feels like it has. I've been trying not to write for several days now and am unfortunately succeeding. I say unfortunately because I need to get this project done and I am waiting on an email response from an informant that will lead to my conclusion. I have sampled various new games and am throughly disappointed. Some times it seems like this is true.
A friend had to watch "the video" and I thought I'd do a bit of writing on that. In my first real job I too had to watch the video... but not since then even though I have worked at several other places. I suppose the video is only used from time to time and only in some jobs. For instance I would have expected the gov-ish job that I worked at to show it, but they did not whereas my experiences in retail acquainted me with it several times (we got to watch three different ones!... ok one was on shoplifting)... Whatever. It's funny, have a sense of humor people, really.
I have spent the past few days doing some reading and research on Gaelic and Welsh mythology and language. It is almost fun (as much as research can be I guess (I looked for a pic or video for Solveo the PBS commercial... just envision that )) Granted the only problem with the research is that it is entirely unrelated to what I am supposed to be working on. However I have learned about the Celtic connection between Royalty and Horses, the connection between Horses and the Sea, and the connection between the Sea and the Gods... very interesting...
So now it's time to spread some of my hard fought and paid for college knowledge with my patented Welsh Theoretical First-timer's Introductory Translative Section (WTFITS for short) where I will show you what I have been told is the proper way to pronounce some common Welsh spelling peculiarities.
below are the parts, on the left is the welsh, on the right is the approximate american english pronunciation.
Rule of thumb: pronounce every letter, no letter in welsh is silent!
Second Rule of thumb: pronounce the vowels a, e, and o like sounds not letters!
dd = th (soft, like in the word tooth)
th = th (soft, comes at the beginning of words)
ll = th (hard, like in the word the)
ch = ck
f = v
ff = f
i = e
u = i
w = oo / u
y = or/ur if inside a word, y/e if at the end
There you go! Now know that the translation of welsh is a difficult process (as is translation in any language) and I do not know enough to begin to cover that here. But neither do other people it would seem. now here's something to practice on:
Pa frechdanau sydd gennych? (What sandwiches do you have?)
Mab pwy yw ef? (Whose son is he?)
Dach chi eisiau dawnsio (h)efo fi? (Would you like to dance with me?)
Pump gwrw (Five beers)
Ga i beint o seidr os gwelwch yn dda (I'd like a pint of cider please)
Mae'n amser gwelu, Nos Da. (Bed time, good night.)
Rwy'n dy garu di! (I Love you!)
A friend had to watch "the video" and I thought I'd do a bit of writing on that. In my first real job I too had to watch the video... but not since then even though I have worked at several other places. I suppose the video is only used from time to time and only in some jobs. For instance I would have expected the gov-ish job that I worked at to show it, but they did not whereas my experiences in retail acquainted me with it several times (we got to watch three different ones!... ok one was on shoplifting)... Whatever. It's funny, have a sense of humor people, really.
I have spent the past few days doing some reading and research on Gaelic and Welsh mythology and language. It is almost fun (as much as research can be I guess (I looked for a pic or video for Solveo the PBS commercial... just envision that )) Granted the only problem with the research is that it is entirely unrelated to what I am supposed to be working on. However I have learned about the Celtic connection between Royalty and Horses, the connection between Horses and the Sea, and the connection between the Sea and the Gods... very interesting...
So now it's time to spread some of my hard fought and paid for college knowledge with my patented Welsh Theoretical First-timer's Introductory Translative Section (WTFITS for short) where I will show you what I have been told is the proper way to pronounce some common Welsh spelling peculiarities.
below are the parts, on the left is the welsh, on the right is the approximate american english pronunciation.
Rule of thumb: pronounce every letter, no letter in welsh is silent!
Second Rule of thumb: pronounce the vowels a, e, and o like sounds not letters!
dd = th (soft, like in the word tooth)
th = th (soft, comes at the beginning of words)
ll = th (hard, like in the word the)
ch = ck
f = v
ff = f
i = e
u = i
w = oo / u
y = or/ur if inside a word, y/e if at the end
There you go! Now know that the translation of welsh is a difficult process (as is translation in any language) and I do not know enough to begin to cover that here. But neither do other people it would seem. now here's something to practice on:
Pa frechdanau sydd gennych? (What sandwiches do you have?)
Mab pwy yw ef? (Whose son is he?)
Dach chi eisiau dawnsio (h)efo fi? (Would you like to dance with me?)
Pump gwrw (Five beers)
Ga i beint o seidr os gwelwch yn dda (I'd like a pint of cider please)
Mae'n amser gwelu, Nos Da. (Bed time, good night.)
Rwy'n dy garu di! (I Love you!)
Monday, November 24, 2008
Flashback
I snuck back into highschool today. Kidnapped a teacher for lunch, and got to see the aftermath of some punk kid setting the bathroom on fire. Good fun all in all. Also saw a blast from the past as I ran into my Ex's younger sister. Confession time: whenever something directly reminds me of... the past... I still get that feeling in my stomach like I have just been kicked in the balls. That tight slimy just-about-to-puke feeling. Its great... There are not unresolved emotional issues there at all...
So its back to the college grind (that link is a bit rude sorry) as I have a HUGE paper due after the break. Oh, and I have been recognized as the lead editor for a book that was just published to give you some insight as to all this writing I'm doing, so thats another notch to add to the resume. College is fun (that must have been a theater or chorus group).
Well, soon I'm off to HPBN (Half Price Burger Night) so I bid you ado.
So its back to the college grind (that link is a bit rude sorry) as I have a HUGE paper due after the break. Oh, and I have been recognized as the lead editor for a book that was just published to give you some insight as to all this writing I'm doing, so thats another notch to add to the resume. College is fun (that must have been a theater or chorus group).
Well, soon I'm off to HPBN (Half Price Burger Night) so I bid you ado.
Dreamland
Ever have those days when you get up and spend the first part of the day unsure whether or not you are still dreaming? Somehow those days are increasing at an alarming rate for me. I have been having memories that are not real, and have had dreams that I was sure were. Is this the beginning to the spiral into madness? Even worse, half of my dreams revolve around the death of someone I know... if I think I am still dreaming what will I do in reality?
For instance, say you are looking into a mirror and you see your reflection blink... but you know that you did not blink... And the strange part is if I post this and you can read it, that happened in reality...
As it was before I have spent a lot of time writing in the past few days. I almost wonder if the dreams and confused reality is related to the writing. Or is it related to the higher stress level that comes with the higher work load. Its hard to say.
For you TV watching fans out there I have a high recommendation for you. I have found a new show that rocks and need to share it. Now let me start with the warning that the type of comedy I love grew out of Family Matters, Home Improvement and Seinfeld, to become a Scrubs, Arrested Development type of sitcom humor. But now I have discovered 30 Rock, good show, fast jokes and lots of references. I would say it is the business equivalent of scrubs... And whats not to like about Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey... If I had to compare it to other shows, its like The Office, but the episodes and humor have more of a direct comedic point rather than being a long drawn out boring story about one or two interesting characters and a bunch of losers. On 30 Rock, everyone is an interesting looser character, but the best part is they are so absurdly good at acting like they have the various psychological ailments they seem to portray its like eating a stew of hilarity, you have no idea what the next bite will introduce to your system, but it's all mmmm mmmm good.
... Yes fine, I admit it, I am writing this because I should be writing more homeworky stuff... It helps clear my mind...
Oh, news flash, I had always said my sister's class ruined my high school, and in the paper today that was proven true as something like eight of them were busted for a heroin ring which has lead to something like two confirmed deaths in the past few years... My class wins every championship that the state threw at us, and hers sells heroin to middle schoolers... For Shame... but why are middle schoolers buying heroin? maybe they plan to be english majors and want to get an early start...
Blah, Blah, Yak, Yadda, Dah...
Oh, and for those users of MegaVideo out there, they have instituted a new policy where you have to buy premium membership to use their service for more than 74 minutes straight... LAMEO (not to be confused with LMAO under any circumstances)... What they should have done to make money AND keep customers is do what Hulu did and air a commercial every 15 min or so.
Well, another post on the wall today (it is still today since I have not slept yet... or for the past two days... man the days get longer every year, and shorter as well...)
WAY TOO MANY PERIODS!!!
- The editor got out! Get him before he eats all the bagels!
For instance, say you are looking into a mirror and you see your reflection blink... but you know that you did not blink... And the strange part is if I post this and you can read it, that happened in reality...
As it was before I have spent a lot of time writing in the past few days. I almost wonder if the dreams and confused reality is related to the writing. Or is it related to the higher stress level that comes with the higher work load. Its hard to say.
For you TV watching fans out there I have a high recommendation for you. I have found a new show that rocks and need to share it. Now let me start with the warning that the type of comedy I love grew out of Family Matters, Home Improvement and Seinfeld, to become a Scrubs, Arrested Development type of sitcom humor. But now I have discovered 30 Rock, good show, fast jokes and lots of references. I would say it is the business equivalent of scrubs... And whats not to like about Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey... If I had to compare it to other shows, its like The Office, but the episodes and humor have more of a direct comedic point rather than being a long drawn out boring story about one or two interesting characters and a bunch of losers. On 30 Rock, everyone is an interesting looser character, but the best part is they are so absurdly good at acting like they have the various psychological ailments they seem to portray its like eating a stew of hilarity, you have no idea what the next bite will introduce to your system, but it's all mmmm mmmm good.
... Yes fine, I admit it, I am writing this because I should be writing more homeworky stuff... It helps clear my mind...
Oh, news flash, I had always said my sister's class ruined my high school, and in the paper today that was proven true as something like eight of them were busted for a heroin ring which has lead to something like two confirmed deaths in the past few years... My class wins every championship that the state threw at us, and hers sells heroin to middle schoolers... For Shame... but why are middle schoolers buying heroin? maybe they plan to be english majors and want to get an early start...
Blah, Blah, Yak, Yadda, Dah...
Oh, and for those users of MegaVideo out there, they have instituted a new policy where you have to buy premium membership to use their service for more than 74 minutes straight... LAMEO (not to be confused with LMAO under any circumstances)... What they should have done to make money AND keep customers is do what Hulu did and air a commercial every 15 min or so.
Well, another post on the wall today (it is still today since I have not slept yet... or for the past two days... man the days get longer every year, and shorter as well...)
WAY TOO MANY PERIODS!!!
- The editor got out! Get him before he eats all the bagels!
Sunday, November 23, 2008
One of my better ideas
While chasing one of my better ideas I ended up stepping outside with an electric razor. My intentions were to cut my own hair, which I did and with a decent amount of success. I did not end up "bicking it" as one has put it, nor do I plan on it. My intentions were to try and give myself a haircut such that it would not look like I am hiding my baldness. And to my delight I now look something like this... Fine, so maybe a little more like this than that. To which my brother responded "I do not know who you are now." So I have successfully accomplished stage one... now stage two, with my new alter-ego look I must start a life of crime... or crime fighting.... yessss...(I call the rights to the super hero name of "Baldman")
Ive been swamped with projects this past week and have had not had much time to write as you well know. Unfortunately the forecast has even more papers, projects, and tests sweeping across the planes of my life, of which a new storm front will hit tomorrow and continue for the next week before the blizzard of finals sweeps through. So in advance, I am sorry for not posting, blame my professors, I also support you charging them a monetary fine for the time that I do not have to write here.
The kids book has begun full swing, Ive been granted access to a well known illustrator and writer through my various connections, and have already been hit up by two independent people for a preemptive agreement to sign their copies... calm down people, it will be a while before I get anything complete enough to worry about signing things. More to come later...
Love you, buh-bye!
now say it with me in a raspy voice like your the bat man... or maybe like the Thunder cats...I AM BALDMAN!!! HOOOO!
Ive been swamped with projects this past week and have had not had much time to write as you well know. Unfortunately the forecast has even more papers, projects, and tests sweeping across the planes of my life, of which a new storm front will hit tomorrow and continue for the next week before the blizzard of finals sweeps through. So in advance, I am sorry for not posting, blame my professors, I also support you charging them a monetary fine for the time that I do not have to write here.
The kids book has begun full swing, Ive been granted access to a well known illustrator and writer through my various connections, and have already been hit up by two independent people for a preemptive agreement to sign their copies... calm down people, it will be a while before I get anything complete enough to worry about signing things. More to come later...
Love you, buh-bye!
now say it with me in a raspy voice like your the bat man... or maybe like the Thunder cats...I AM BALDMAN!!! HOOOO!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
The door with no knob
That's right, this post is about people. People are the door with no knob. They are a means to understanding, yet they are also the gate keepers of self. There is an opening, but you must know someone to get in the club and even then you can only go so far, as you must be on the list to get into the vip room and on the short list to get into the prestigious vip gold room. I have been trying to make an effort to spend some time with those who I may never see again. Knowing that my professional collage career will end in three weeks time if I do not return for grad school.
Sorry for the recent treatment of mild neglect, the past week has been full of papers for every class in addition to some personal stuff that took time to work out. Oh my... that guy is wearing a pirate hat... sorry I'm at school... on a friday... before 3pm... yeah, the makings of a bad day. Last night was spent finalizing two papers both due today which I neglected to start until last night, but all in all I think they went quite well.
Several days ago it snowed. that's right, in november. it was nice to see, more fun than rain. It didn't stick but still cool to see. Well, my time here is almost up so I'll cut it off for now and get back to it later.
now let me leave you with this... And some of this too.
Sorry for the recent treatment of mild neglect, the past week has been full of papers for every class in addition to some personal stuff that took time to work out. Oh my... that guy is wearing a pirate hat... sorry I'm at school... on a friday... before 3pm... yeah, the makings of a bad day. Last night was spent finalizing two papers both due today which I neglected to start until last night, but all in all I think they went quite well.
Several days ago it snowed. that's right, in november. it was nice to see, more fun than rain. It didn't stick but still cool to see. Well, my time here is almost up so I'll cut it off for now and get back to it later.
now let me leave you with this... And some of this too.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Encounter at Farpoint... Station
Well, I'm gonna live up to my namesake today and just ramble. My head is about to esplode so I need a vent. I'm currently trying to help tutor a friend in doing something I have done before (build a fantasy world) and it's driving me crazy. I can say this because I am fairly certain that he/she does not read this (and because I have expressed this view to him/her directly already). Quite frankly my dear, our minds don't work the same way so every suggestion I give doesn't make sense, and every thought he/she has I am confused by. That and I just watched "The Golden Compass" and boy is my brain tired... tired of mocking itself for all of the "subtle" messages in that movie and how stupid it all is (I hate when the main character needs to be unnaturally ignorant or young so the author can get across "deep" statements about our "reality"). I have heard that the book is even more dense with these, which some praise it for, but I fear would only hurt my head more. Don't get me wrong, I love it when writers actually think, cherish it even more when they make connections that work especially if they use motifs and themes to do so. I just feel there is a certain point at which you should limit the amount of "insight" you throw at a reader or viewer at one time... Oh and the best part was random Eva Green appearing and disappearing at will... Oh and she can fly! I found it funny how in the three films I have seen her in, she has one "I'm serious" face and uses it every time [squint right eye 10% more than left and stare through the other actor...ACTION!]. Going back to one of those things I was talking about before, it's odd how something like five people I know decided they wanted to write a book within this year.
My prediction for the future is that Tyrael in Diablo 3 will be evil. In the past two Diablo games (ok so he really was not in the first one other than in the lore) Tyrael has made decisions and taken actions seemingly without consulting any one else. Also it is written that he is considered a "rogue" to the other legions of heaven (maybe to make him cool). I bring him up since he is one of my alias' on line and once Diablo III comes out I'm sure there will be more Tyrael hype.
Sadly also in my spare time I have been doing some book writing, the kid's book is coming along nicely except for chapter two... but really what do you do with more than half of a chapter dedicated to farm life... I mean farm life... really, not quite as cool as adventuring to find magic weapons and fighting ancient dragons... Even NWN 2 could not pull off describing farm life, they skipped over it entirely.
What to complain about now, ah, hows about the lack of links in this post, I mean seriously what a slacker. I did receive from one loyal reader a handful of movie links, but most of them were political and I don't do political.
It's getting down to the wire, once college is done I have plans of shaving my head. As most of you who read this know, I suffer from a severe case of individual hair follicles deciding to jump ship, never to be seen again. This really does not bother me, nor does it seem to bother most people other than my good friends who like to point this out (as it has been a topic of conversation brought up between them and various waitresses in the past few weeks). Hair is really just a general pain (the needing it cut, the making it look good, the wind catching it wrong), I wonder if you can get that laser hair removal thing for your whole head... But one thing is certain, I will get hair removed from my butt and stapled to my head before I wear a wig (unless its for Halloween or another costumed event).
Well, now it's late and I have a date... with my bed... and I expect that some sleeping together may be involved... ;)
Catch you on the flip side.
My prediction for the future is that Tyrael in Diablo 3 will be evil. In the past two Diablo games (ok so he really was not in the first one other than in the lore) Tyrael has made decisions and taken actions seemingly without consulting any one else. Also it is written that he is considered a "rogue" to the other legions of heaven (maybe to make him cool). I bring him up since he is one of my alias' on line and once Diablo III comes out I'm sure there will be more Tyrael hype.
Sadly also in my spare time I have been doing some book writing, the kid's book is coming along nicely except for chapter two... but really what do you do with more than half of a chapter dedicated to farm life... I mean farm life... really, not quite as cool as adventuring to find magic weapons and fighting ancient dragons... Even NWN 2 could not pull off describing farm life, they skipped over it entirely.
What to complain about now, ah, hows about the lack of links in this post, I mean seriously what a slacker. I did receive from one loyal reader a handful of movie links, but most of them were political and I don't do political.
It's getting down to the wire, once college is done I have plans of shaving my head. As most of you who read this know, I suffer from a severe case of individual hair follicles deciding to jump ship, never to be seen again. This really does not bother me, nor does it seem to bother most people other than my good friends who like to point this out (as it has been a topic of conversation brought up between them and various waitresses in the past few weeks). Hair is really just a general pain (the needing it cut, the making it look good, the wind catching it wrong), I wonder if you can get that laser hair removal thing for your whole head... But one thing is certain, I will get hair removed from my butt and stapled to my head before I wear a wig (unless its for Halloween or another costumed event).
Well, now it's late and I have a date... with my bed... and I expect that some sleeping together may be involved... ;)
Catch you on the flip side.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Movie Time
Get out that Pop-Secret and a 4 gallon bucket for soda, it's movie time. Today we will be starting off with horror, and ending with comedy. So sit back, relax, and make sure to call in sick the next few days.
While surfing the other day I came across the Official Elder Scrolls V Announcement Trailer. Now after some investigation into this matter I came across quite a bit of information on this phenomenon. The original video can be found here, and yes that is the real video and his real voice. Apparently this sort of thing is common and has happened before as you can read in the Wikipedia page on Rickrolling. It is absolutely fascinating to me how such a thing can come about and continue to exist. The even more interesting part is how widely it gets accepted and adopted. But as they say, know your meme.
And now for something completely different! If you like good 'ol political rhetoric I highly suggest watching this as it is a media gem and should live on forever in our hearts and minds.
Additionally if you want something to make you both laugh and cry for the poor children of our great nation check this out. I personally believe that if you do not check out that link then underprivileged nations may not be benefited by the lacking education system of our own country. And the sad thing is what I just said actuially made some sense in a confusing and counter-intuitive sort of way. But I still personally believe it.
Then of course I could not call myself a true internet aficionado without including Charlie in this post. Charlie has two videos. Now Charlie also has some literature (if you can call it that) associated with it.
And who can forget the mushroom or the duck? Or best of all, this guy... or that guy? Yeah, that guy just totally rocks.
... lets end with a war movie.
Well, Happy Surfing!
While surfing the other day I came across the Official Elder Scrolls V Announcement Trailer. Now after some investigation into this matter I came across quite a bit of information on this phenomenon. The original video can be found here, and yes that is the real video and his real voice. Apparently this sort of thing is common and has happened before as you can read in the Wikipedia page on Rickrolling. It is absolutely fascinating to me how such a thing can come about and continue to exist. The even more interesting part is how widely it gets accepted and adopted. But as they say, know your meme.
And now for something completely different! If you like good 'ol political rhetoric I highly suggest watching this as it is a media gem and should live on forever in our hearts and minds.
Additionally if you want something to make you both laugh and cry for the poor children of our great nation check this out. I personally believe that if you do not check out that link then underprivileged nations may not be benefited by the lacking education system of our own country. And the sad thing is what I just said actuially made some sense in a confusing and counter-intuitive sort of way. But I still personally believe it.
Then of course I could not call myself a true internet aficionado without including Charlie in this post. Charlie has two videos. Now Charlie also has some literature (if you can call it that) associated with it.
And who can forget the mushroom or the duck? Or best of all, this guy... or that guy? Yeah, that guy just totally rocks.
... lets end with a war movie.
Well, Happy Surfing!
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Utopians
To my dear brothers and sisters in captivity, to those exiled from your true homes, and to those living in the lands of Utopia and Dystopia, I write.
I wrestle in prayer for you daily that the evils of this life may not take hold of you. I hold great hope for your success over the snares that may hold you back. The addictions of this life are strong, and you must steel yourself against them with the spirit of love and kindness, and a mindset of hope and a heart of faith and a mouth of truth. Look to the future glory and find strength that does not exist in yourself. Through grace I write you in my own captivity. My mind wears thin but my hand remains vigil as do my hopes. You are the ones I love, the ones my soul breaks for. It is my sincere hope that your own successes will far surpass mine, but that I may be granted the honor and joy of being even an example of what to not do. Some of your brothers and sisters in neighboring lands have lost faith, and others remain strong, keep both in your hearts and minds. Do not make a way for the napping of the day, or for the wine of the drunkards, for in closing your eyes evil will grow unseen, and in the drink of the drunk you will only find momentary relief from your pains and lasting relief from the weight of your coin purse. I fear deeply for some of you that you are looking for wisdom in the market of fools, but there you will only find folly, pride, and a means to personal destruction and emotional poverty. For although the meal of a hand full of seeds may be food for today, know that going hungry today may lead to an entire crop of food for the seasons to come. Make your seed a message of joy and hope that it might grow in others and all may be fed. Work to teach this message to the children that they may grow in love and their hearts rejoice in the truth. Save them from the cold and the traps that will leave them alone and suffering in darkness. For those of you with debts and debtors I urge you to forgive but do so by way of divine grace and sanctification but not in your own strength. Above all do not forget the teachings of your parents and the wisdom of the elders, let them be a light to you in times of darkness. I will pray that you do not loose heart in the hard times and that you will not loose sight in the times of great harvest. Never misplace the knowledge that the fruit of success grow not under your power. Nor do you control the west wind. But never forget to rejoice in your freedom as it has been granted to you in both the times of joy and the times of sorrow. All things that are, are by a reason and are for a purpose.
I wrestle in prayer for you daily that the evils of this life may not take hold of you. I hold great hope for your success over the snares that may hold you back. The addictions of this life are strong, and you must steel yourself against them with the spirit of love and kindness, and a mindset of hope and a heart of faith and a mouth of truth. Look to the future glory and find strength that does not exist in yourself. Through grace I write you in my own captivity. My mind wears thin but my hand remains vigil as do my hopes. You are the ones I love, the ones my soul breaks for. It is my sincere hope that your own successes will far surpass mine, but that I may be granted the honor and joy of being even an example of what to not do. Some of your brothers and sisters in neighboring lands have lost faith, and others remain strong, keep both in your hearts and minds. Do not make a way for the napping of the day, or for the wine of the drunkards, for in closing your eyes evil will grow unseen, and in the drink of the drunk you will only find momentary relief from your pains and lasting relief from the weight of your coin purse. I fear deeply for some of you that you are looking for wisdom in the market of fools, but there you will only find folly, pride, and a means to personal destruction and emotional poverty. For although the meal of a hand full of seeds may be food for today, know that going hungry today may lead to an entire crop of food for the seasons to come. Make your seed a message of joy and hope that it might grow in others and all may be fed. Work to teach this message to the children that they may grow in love and their hearts rejoice in the truth. Save them from the cold and the traps that will leave them alone and suffering in darkness. For those of you with debts and debtors I urge you to forgive but do so by way of divine grace and sanctification but not in your own strength. Above all do not forget the teachings of your parents and the wisdom of the elders, let them be a light to you in times of darkness. I will pray that you do not loose heart in the hard times and that you will not loose sight in the times of great harvest. Never misplace the knowledge that the fruit of success grow not under your power. Nor do you control the west wind. But never forget to rejoice in your freedom as it has been granted to you in both the times of joy and the times of sorrow. All things that are, are by a reason and are for a purpose.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Letters to the Editor
The following are a list of questions as I continually re-self-examine... myself... And this way I can self examine you too!
Also, do you think this color scheme is working? I was going for the old, like 1950's newspaper feel (yes i know the background was not black) but the theme of gray is integral to the meaning, but does it work?
Is my sad attempt at blending the best of Internet humor with my personal voice and life working?
And for you poetry lovers:
What is life like? Yesterday opened up my arrested reality. Reading yet moves everyone.
Don't you agree?
The comment box has been opened to anonymous posting. Please make use of it. :)
After talking with Scott (he is the druid on the general channel) who just left on a business trip, we learned that I exist one hour in the future of base reality. We may be able to use this, and I have already formulated that I should go back in time and fix some of the mistakes I have made.
Which brings us to the question of the day: if you could, would you, should you?
Life is full of reflection on the past, both mistakes and triumphs... but mainly mistakes (I would argue that people spend more time regretting than celebrating and wishing to re-write successes makes almost no sense). I will now ask that cliché question about time travel, if you could go back in time to change something in your past would you? But to add to the question I would have to say that whatever you choose to change would in fact effect all life after it and would not be a localized event. Would you give up who and what you are today, for what you could have been? I suppose the salvation of this argument is in the unknown that is the other future. In simple fact there is no way to know if it would be better or worse, or that if you did make it better, something worse would not happen later because of your change.
Below is in no particular order a list of movies that you NEED TO SEE if you have not already seen all of them. And if you have, SEE THEM AGAIN. I refuse to give these a proper order since they are all top notch and will only display them in alphabetical order.
Casablanca
Airplane 1, 2
Lethal weapon I
Lucky number slevin
Matrix series
Euro trip
Startrek II
Employee of the month
X-men
Young frankenstein
20,000 leagues under the sea
Thank you for smoking
Ironman
Magnificent Seven
Equilibrium
Spy game
--- The following are true to their titles as well ---
Die hard 3, 4
Accepted
V for vendetta
E.T. the extra terrestrial
Road trip
Oceans 11
Conan the barbarian
Kill bill 1 and 2
Super troopers
--- and these are just good ---
12 Monkeys
LotR series
The good the bad and the ugly
Starwars VI, VII, VIII
Bourn series
Ghostbusters I, II
The Patriot
Batman Begins
The whole nine yards
Pulp fiction
Beauty and the beast
Top gun
The girl next door
Indiana Jones I, II, III
James Bond all
Phantom of the opera
The last samurai
Spy game
The Professional
Terminator I, II, III
If you get them please do not give them away. It ruins the secret.
(Fun Fact: Subliminal is a compound latin word. Sub means under and Liminal means threshold or doorway.)
Also, do you think this color scheme is working? I was going for the old, like 1950's newspaper feel (yes i know the background was not black) but the theme of gray is integral to the meaning, but does it work?
Is my sad attempt at blending the best of Internet humor with my personal voice and life working?
And for you poetry lovers:
What is life like? Yesterday opened up my arrested reality. Reading yet moves everyone.
Don't you agree?
The comment box has been opened to anonymous posting. Please make use of it. :)
After talking with Scott (he is the druid on the general channel) who just left on a business trip, we learned that I exist one hour in the future of base reality. We may be able to use this, and I have already formulated that I should go back in time and fix some of the mistakes I have made.
Which brings us to the question of the day: if you could, would you, should you?
Life is full of reflection on the past, both mistakes and triumphs... but mainly mistakes (I would argue that people spend more time regretting than celebrating and wishing to re-write successes makes almost no sense). I will now ask that cliché question about time travel, if you could go back in time to change something in your past would you? But to add to the question I would have to say that whatever you choose to change would in fact effect all life after it and would not be a localized event. Would you give up who and what you are today, for what you could have been? I suppose the salvation of this argument is in the unknown that is the other future. In simple fact there is no way to know if it would be better or worse, or that if you did make it better, something worse would not happen later because of your change.
Below is in no particular order a list of movies that you NEED TO SEE if you have not already seen all of them. And if you have, SEE THEM AGAIN. I refuse to give these a proper order since they are all top notch and will only display them in alphabetical order.
Casablanca
Airplane 1, 2
Lethal weapon I
Lucky number slevin
Matrix series
Euro trip
Startrek II
Employee of the month
X-men
Young frankenstein
20,000 leagues under the sea
Thank you for smoking
Ironman
Magnificent Seven
Equilibrium
Spy game
--- The following are true to their titles as well ---
Die hard 3, 4
Accepted
V for vendetta
E.T. the extra terrestrial
Road trip
Oceans 11
Conan the barbarian
Kill bill 1 and 2
Super troopers
--- and these are just good ---
12 Monkeys
LotR series
The good the bad and the ugly
Starwars VI, VII, VIII
Bourn series
Ghostbusters I, II
The Patriot
Batman Begins
The whole nine yards
Pulp fiction
Beauty and the beast
Top gun
The girl next door
Indiana Jones I, II, III
James Bond all
Phantom of the opera
The last samurai
Spy game
The Professional
Terminator I, II, III
If you get them please do not give them away. It ruins the secret.
(Fun Fact: Subliminal is a compound latin word. Sub means under and Liminal means threshold or doorway.)
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Dystopian Socioty as we Know it
I will begin in apologizing that I will not in fact be talking about Sean Connery (look him up in Gawain and the Green Knight for a good laugh) and Gob Bluth (watch Arrested Development... just watch it... DO IT NOW!), nor will I talk about President Indiana Solo, my father Ra's Al Jin, Boramir the Irish cossack and true son of the Emperor, or King Emperor Jean-Luc Septim (Even though these people are pretty much the coolest people on the planet... oh and of course MacGyver, Kirk, and my celebrity crush, Angela Brewster Connor).
Rather I will ramble, its been a good while since my last one and I feel you are far overdue. I had planned on writing almost every day this past week, but it has been busy an I have had almost no sleep until today (almost no sleep is common for me, 5 hours or less a night, but when I admit to almost no sleep that means roughly 2 or less... Darn insomnia... and games... beautiful games) The short of it is, it has been a long week.
Most of the week has had this thick cloud of depression hovering over it... I'm not really quite sure why, its been a fun week but It's a hard feeling to kick. I'll be going along and BAM something will happen that just hurts, shows me truth I didn't want to know or reminds me of something I tried to forget. But I will try to avoid most of that here as its dull compared to the adventures of the week.
On Thursday I think... I saw the most beautiful woman on the planet. I know this is true, there is none that even half compare. I saw her, had to do a double take, then a triple take. I could not help but check her out over and over and over and over. The funny thing is I had told myself that I would not attempt to hit on women for the next week or month or however long I can (I had decided that early on Thursday), and I could not break that the first day (what a test to see her). Now the funny thing is, I could not describe her for the life of me now. I don't even remember if she was a blonde or brunette. I have no recollection about any of her features. Now you would think that since she was drop dead gorgeous I would remember a face like that, especially after probably creeping her out as i dragged my jaw along the floor. But somehow I have absolutely no memory of her other than she was amazing. This however would allow me to pick her out of a lineup of pretty girls since she would make every one look ugly. Life is funny that way huh.
Later I had a conference with a prof of mine (I can use abbreviations here, its academia the place where such things are discouraged)(I have questioned her sanity on several occasions and I think this time takes the cake). We set up a meeting to discuss something I am working on and the first sign that something was wrong is she scheduled it for 9am... thats right, that hour that is only a myth to most college students. So in the meeting she first told me what the focus of my paper was (which was not the focus of my paper), and then proceeded to scold me since I had not lived up to fulfilling it (since it was not the focus of my paper). I could not tell her this because I think she already is quite disappointed in me for frequently skipping her class and we have reached the sort of interaction that most of my professional bosses and I have. Basically they hate my guts because I go around their "orders" to complete a task in a more efficient way (yes sadly i am not lying about this).
Later I got a letter telling me that my parking citation was in fact not dropped. I sent several letters and calls their way and the best response I got was that the thing I posted earlier was their system output for me not having it dropped. Apparently saying "resolved" meant that they had read my response and not that it was in fact resolved, and the amount due line which read $0 meant that my fine amount was not adjusted and I still owe the full amount. Yeah, its a total load of B.S. But sadly I can do nothing more than use voodoo dolls to torture the employees and burn down the building. But both of those would take effort and right now I'm so pissed that I no longer care... Jerks! (dear reader, you unfortunately have just witnessed the worst insult known to my vocabulary, and here comes the worst curse, may they forever have boring underpaying desk jobs.)
I spent a day running from society to visit my uncle in po-dung farm ville where he just bought a bunch of land that has buildings from the 1800's on it. We did some exploring, some talking and had lunch, it was nice (except for the hours and hours of driving). There he and his wife did not actually condemn my decision to be an English major (which I thought they would) and suggested that I become a writer since our family has none right now and is due for another famous one.
I spent the weekend being the DD for a double party (got to drive a HUGE minivan quite the contradiction in terms)(man, designated driving is... well... worse than baby sitting) but it was fun. We went to a karaoke bar which was quite the experience and I actually almost regret not singing (almost).
Oh, I should do a follow up on the election day thing... Let me just say that I am not a racist and that I am quite American. The night was spent in the hometown Grille and Bar with friends drinking the election away. Luckily the totally awesome people that work there whom I personally know and love also hung out to watch. And I scold JH for cheating on me with her boyfriend of four + years... Doesn't our three year client-server relationship mean anything to you? After she was cut she went to hang out with her boyfriend rather than sit and drink with us. But I forgive her, she is the nicest person in the world after all (no joke), so I suppose this time I will let it slip.
Well, its that time again. Time to start thinking about the homework I should be doing as I play games, watch movies, listen to the radio, and read a book. And that's right, All at the same time. Yeah, I am a talented multitasker, if only my memory worked and I was not crazy and could never find any good women (well except for that once, I wish things could be different) life would be good... Oh and a job would be nice. But no instead I am cursed with beautiful wonderful cynicism, a high I.Q. and a rapport with women slightly reminiscent of John Nash (i have studied body language, nonverbal communication, telepathy and conversational speaking before, and have not met one yet who uses them the way the books say). Oh well, it was suggested that I go speed-dating. Fat chance! I'd rather try one of those online services I insult on a regular basis. At least then I can view my failure from a computer screen and not face to face.
Now I know this post is already unbearably long but I wanted to take a moment to discuss faith, something I have mostly avoided in this column. I have been learning that it is not when I want to see something that it I can see, but rather when I open my eyes to seeing. An interesting lesson to be learning. Just think about it, I wrote it in a physical and metaphorical way and both are true. Just because I will something to be in front of me does not mean that it exists, or even that if I want something really bad, even so bad that I believe it that it is real. But only when you open your eyes to everything, going around with them shut and imagining what you want only goes so far (even though I firmly believe in it) and one must be open to accepting what comes, no matter what it is. A boss does not look for an employee who thinks they can do anything, they look for an employee who is willing to try anything. Be willing to do whatever you are called to and your eyes will open a little more, it may be painful, no one ever said it was easy, but it will bring you to a new place.
(fun fact: Utopia actually means "no place" in greek, which is why it is perfect, because it does not exist. Dystopia or Cacotopia means the opposite of that idea, but not that term.)
Rather I will ramble, its been a good while since my last one and I feel you are far overdue. I had planned on writing almost every day this past week, but it has been busy an I have had almost no sleep until today (almost no sleep is common for me, 5 hours or less a night, but when I admit to almost no sleep that means roughly 2 or less... Darn insomnia... and games... beautiful games) The short of it is, it has been a long week.
Most of the week has had this thick cloud of depression hovering over it... I'm not really quite sure why, its been a fun week but It's a hard feeling to kick. I'll be going along and BAM something will happen that just hurts, shows me truth I didn't want to know or reminds me of something I tried to forget. But I will try to avoid most of that here as its dull compared to the adventures of the week.
On Thursday I think... I saw the most beautiful woman on the planet. I know this is true, there is none that even half compare. I saw her, had to do a double take, then a triple take. I could not help but check her out over and over and over and over. The funny thing is I had told myself that I would not attempt to hit on women for the next week or month or however long I can (I had decided that early on Thursday), and I could not break that the first day (what a test to see her). Now the funny thing is, I could not describe her for the life of me now. I don't even remember if she was a blonde or brunette. I have no recollection about any of her features. Now you would think that since she was drop dead gorgeous I would remember a face like that, especially after probably creeping her out as i dragged my jaw along the floor. But somehow I have absolutely no memory of her other than she was amazing. This however would allow me to pick her out of a lineup of pretty girls since she would make every one look ugly. Life is funny that way huh.
Later I had a conference with a prof of mine (I can use abbreviations here, its academia the place where such things are discouraged)(I have questioned her sanity on several occasions and I think this time takes the cake). We set up a meeting to discuss something I am working on and the first sign that something was wrong is she scheduled it for 9am... thats right, that hour that is only a myth to most college students. So in the meeting she first told me what the focus of my paper was (which was not the focus of my paper), and then proceeded to scold me since I had not lived up to fulfilling it (since it was not the focus of my paper). I could not tell her this because I think she already is quite disappointed in me for frequently skipping her class and we have reached the sort of interaction that most of my professional bosses and I have. Basically they hate my guts because I go around their "orders" to complete a task in a more efficient way (yes sadly i am not lying about this).
Later I got a letter telling me that my parking citation was in fact not dropped. I sent several letters and calls their way and the best response I got was that the thing I posted earlier was their system output for me not having it dropped. Apparently saying "resolved" meant that they had read my response and not that it was in fact resolved, and the amount due line which read $0 meant that my fine amount was not adjusted and I still owe the full amount. Yeah, its a total load of B.S. But sadly I can do nothing more than use voodoo dolls to torture the employees and burn down the building. But both of those would take effort and right now I'm so pissed that I no longer care... Jerks! (dear reader, you unfortunately have just witnessed the worst insult known to my vocabulary, and here comes the worst curse, may they forever have boring underpaying desk jobs.)
I spent a day running from society to visit my uncle in po-dung farm ville where he just bought a bunch of land that has buildings from the 1800's on it. We did some exploring, some talking and had lunch, it was nice (except for the hours and hours of driving). There he and his wife did not actually condemn my decision to be an English major (which I thought they would) and suggested that I become a writer since our family has none right now and is due for another famous one.
I spent the weekend being the DD for a double party (got to drive a HUGE minivan quite the contradiction in terms)(man, designated driving is... well... worse than baby sitting) but it was fun. We went to a karaoke bar which was quite the experience and I actually almost regret not singing (almost).
Oh, I should do a follow up on the election day thing... Let me just say that I am not a racist and that I am quite American. The night was spent in the hometown Grille and Bar with friends drinking the election away. Luckily the totally awesome people that work there whom I personally know and love also hung out to watch. And I scold JH for cheating on me with her boyfriend of four + years... Doesn't our three year client-server relationship mean anything to you? After she was cut she went to hang out with her boyfriend rather than sit and drink with us. But I forgive her, she is the nicest person in the world after all (no joke), so I suppose this time I will let it slip.
Well, its that time again. Time to start thinking about the homework I should be doing as I play games, watch movies, listen to the radio, and read a book. And that's right, All at the same time. Yeah, I am a talented multitasker, if only my memory worked and I was not crazy and could never find any good women (well except for that once, I wish things could be different) life would be good... Oh and a job would be nice. But no instead I am cursed with beautiful wonderful cynicism, a high I.Q. and a rapport with women slightly reminiscent of John Nash (i have studied body language, nonverbal communication, telepathy and conversational speaking before, and have not met one yet who uses them the way the books say). Oh well, it was suggested that I go speed-dating. Fat chance! I'd rather try one of those online services I insult on a regular basis. At least then I can view my failure from a computer screen and not face to face.
Now I know this post is already unbearably long but I wanted to take a moment to discuss faith, something I have mostly avoided in this column. I have been learning that it is not when I want to see something that it I can see, but rather when I open my eyes to seeing. An interesting lesson to be learning. Just think about it, I wrote it in a physical and metaphorical way and both are true. Just because I will something to be in front of me does not mean that it exists, or even that if I want something really bad, even so bad that I believe it that it is real. But only when you open your eyes to everything, going around with them shut and imagining what you want only goes so far (even though I firmly believe in it) and one must be open to accepting what comes, no matter what it is. A boss does not look for an employee who thinks they can do anything, they look for an employee who is willing to try anything. Be willing to do whatever you are called to and your eyes will open a little more, it may be painful, no one ever said it was easy, but it will bring you to a new place.
(fun fact: Utopia actually means "no place" in greek, which is why it is perfect, because it does not exist. Dystopia or Cacotopia means the opposite of that idea, but not that term.)
Monday, November 3, 2008
A moment for my love of Sophy
Before I get into today's topic I wanted to wish everyone a "Happy are you Racist, Sexist, or Un-American Day 2008!" Now that that's out of the way you will be returned to your regularly scheduled program.
That's right, its Philosophy time! And perhaps even time to study the Psychics (psychology, har, har, har) So I pose the supposition that there are two of you. There is the you that you know which I will call the inner you, and the you that others see which I will call the residual you. This by itself is no grand revelation. The inner you is the one that you know, with all of your biases on how you see, understand, and feel about the world around you and what happens. This you is also responsible for making decisions and taking actions. The residual you is the one that others see. This second you is the one whose actions are interpreted by others and whose actions lack the biases of the point of view and emotions of the inner you. The inner you is who you think you are and what you think you are doing, whereas the residual you is formed by what others see in what the inner you tries to do, the residual you is the you that others know, the you that nicknames are formed around and the you that you never quite want to be.
I bring this up because I had an encounter with the residual me just the other day. It is always odd when we have a mirror placed in front of us and what we see is not what we are used to seeing. People in our group were compared to members of a sitcom and I was chosen to be people who I do not really see myself as being (at least at first). This sitcom was made up of people from other various shows and did not really exist in real life as it was little more than my life stolen and put into script form... Darn those hidden cameras and listening devices in my room...
In completely unrelated news this is fun and should be checked out.
In other unrelated news my parking citation got dropped and they did not tell me this. So after investigating I was able to go through a convoluted path of 6 web pages (all of which were questionably labeled) to finally find this:
Appeal Number Ticket Number Status Amount Due Appeal Date Hearing Date
##### L######### Resolved $0.00 10/31/2008
Which I can safely assume means the fine was dropped... Thank you Parking Services, next time I will write an even nastier letter :P
"...the thing is, is..." I HATE IT WHEN PEOPLE MISUSE THIS PHRASE, DO NOT SAY "IS" TWICE, JUST PAUSE AND PLEASE THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE SAYING BEFORE YOU SAY IT RATHER THAN CONTINUING TO TALK IN THE HOPES THAT SOMETHING INTELLIGENT WILL COME TO MIND!!!
Next time on My Freedonia: Sean Connery and G.O.B. Bluth what more is there to say?
That's right, its Philosophy time! And perhaps even time to study the Psychics (psychology, har, har, har) So I pose the supposition that there are two of you. There is the you that you know which I will call the inner you, and the you that others see which I will call the residual you. This by itself is no grand revelation. The inner you is the one that you know, with all of your biases on how you see, understand, and feel about the world around you and what happens. This you is also responsible for making decisions and taking actions. The residual you is the one that others see. This second you is the one whose actions are interpreted by others and whose actions lack the biases of the point of view and emotions of the inner you. The inner you is who you think you are and what you think you are doing, whereas the residual you is formed by what others see in what the inner you tries to do, the residual you is the you that others know, the you that nicknames are formed around and the you that you never quite want to be.
I bring this up because I had an encounter with the residual me just the other day. It is always odd when we have a mirror placed in front of us and what we see is not what we are used to seeing. People in our group were compared to members of a sitcom and I was chosen to be people who I do not really see myself as being (at least at first). This sitcom was made up of people from other various shows and did not really exist in real life as it was little more than my life stolen and put into script form... Darn those hidden cameras and listening devices in my room...
In completely unrelated news this is fun and should be checked out.
In other unrelated news my parking citation got dropped and they did not tell me this. So after investigating I was able to go through a convoluted path of 6 web pages (all of which were questionably labeled) to finally find this:
Appeal Number Ticket Number Status Amount Due Appeal Date Hearing Date
##### L######### Resolved $0.00 10/31/2008
Which I can safely assume means the fine was dropped... Thank you Parking Services, next time I will write an even nastier letter :P
"...the thing is, is..." I HATE IT WHEN PEOPLE MISUSE THIS PHRASE, DO NOT SAY "IS" TWICE, JUST PAUSE AND PLEASE THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE SAYING BEFORE YOU SAY IT RATHER THAN CONTINUING TO TALK IN THE HOPES THAT SOMETHING INTELLIGENT WILL COME TO MIND!!!
Next time on My Freedonia: Sean Connery and G.O.B. Bluth what more is there to say?
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