I’ve been living away from home for a while now. In the last six years or so the notion of home has become a very liquid idea. I’ve lived in a couple of different locations long enough to call them home. Compared to all of my friends I think I’ve lived in more places than the rest. I do however consider the United States my home. Living in a different country has made me appreciate things about the U.S.A. Another thing living out of country does is it gives you a sense of perspective about the good and bad of my country.
There are a couple things I have noticed that people think are attributes of Americas that aren’t true or exclusive to us from my observation. The biggest thing is the idea that Americans are a wasteful people. Maybe we are, but everywhere I have been people are just as wasteful. I think as the horn of plenty visits any society it leads to people being wasteful. It just so happens that the U.S.A. as been blessed not to be ravaged by colonialism, World War II, or the Mongols. So we have a long stint at being prosperous, but that doesn’t make us any more or less wasteful than the people I have ran across on my travels.
A thing about Americans that I have noticed that people don’t seem to attribute to us is that we are very clean. Our streets, rivers, and heck even our buildings for the most part are clean. I don’t know where this came from but I remember the days of my youth when I saw the “Don’t Waste Utah” campaign in action. I don’t know if our cleanliness is a new phenomenon, but I don’t remember a time where we weren’t like that. I guess this is a positive attribute of our society that often gets overlooked. I’m glad we are that way, because well I hate litter. All this must be from my days of doing Boy Scout things.
Showing posts with label Into My Mind. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Into My Mind. Show all posts
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Sunday, January 31, 2010
John Stuart Mill
I have a background in philosophy. That is to say I dabble in what I would consider deep thinking. What seems like a long time ago I was on the search for some answers or at least some tools by which I could find some answers. My understanding of the truth or answers to perplexing questions is a lot more sophisticated now then it was back then. I suppose I did make some advances after all. At the beginning of my search I started with those who asked similar questions in the past. Plato, Aristotle, Wittgenstein, Kripke, and many others seemed to shin a lot of light on things. I tried to keep an open mind on all the people I read. Despite my attempts to be unbiased every time I would read or contemplate the ideas of John Stuart Mill I just seemed not to like the guy or what he was saying. Even though some of the things he said I happen to agree with I just didn’t want to. Go figure I guess I will always have an irrational side of me, contrary to what I thought I could do when I was younger.
So this Mill cat comes along and tries to save the philosophy of Utilitarianism. It is riddled with problems so he takes it up a notch, but you all know this. By you I mean me, and by me I mean I. So we get into this big tiff about rule utilitarianism vs. act utilitarianism. But that is another topic all together. So I was getting a bit nostalgic for my younger, dumber days and started to think about all the hypothetical examples that could perplex those fancy utilitarian cats. There are a whole bunch, in fact I do remember there being a large paper dedicated to the implications that walking on grass (cutting corners) has on utilitarianism. So one hypothetical situation arose in my mind during this trip down nostalgia lane and it involves a disaster. Suppose that a person comes across a disaster. There in front of them is a person who is not conscious or breathing and there are numerous other people scattered about that need medical help. Suppose this person is trained medically. Suppose that this person could make an attempt to revive the person that is basically dead. The attempt will be successful, but the odds of the person living afterwards are next to none. On top of this if the person would be resuscitated his or her last moments are sure to be miserable. So you have a slim chance, but a guaranteed miserable last moments if he or she doesn’t make it. So Mill you got an answer for that one?
Monday, May 11, 2009
The Preasure of Internet Quiz
I’ve been told I’m full of surprises. I recently took a “for fun” quiz to identify where I fell on the political spectrum. The questions were in no way in depth enough to make an accurate assessment, but hey it was for fun. The end result, I am a far left liberal. This struck me as kind of odd because I fancy myself as a conservative person. From what I gather around my friends and work friends they too consider me a conservative person. So that got me thinking what makes me conservative?
I guess my long history of viewing myself as a conservative came with how my parents raised me. Most notably my parents worked me into the ground. I remember countless times hauling longs on my back, bailing hay, installing sprinklers, digging up stumps, and all sorts of things that required a lot of work. You would think that all this work created a good work ethic in me. It didn’t. I’m lazy, real lazy. What it did do is destroy any sense of entitlement in me. I felt that the world owed me nothing. The rewards I go t for my hard work was usually a Pepsi and a ham and cheese sandwich. I’m not saying that liberals don’t know work, or have a sense of entitlements, but that is just the way I perceived the world when I was developing my identity.
I got this image of the world as place that had no duty to me; it was just someplace that one worked in. The world didn’t have a moral obligation to me in anyway. My success for failure was due to the sweat of my own brow, or lack thereof. I have a much more complicated view of duty and relationships now, but fundamentally I still think that there is no inherent love due you by the world. Love and the duties that come with it are a gift of the individual. Due to the tugs and pulls of my life I became an extremist. So that is a very vague sense of what I mean by conservative and how I got there. I do realize that on some key issues I have some confusing results. I can think of three examples of me having what people might consider liberal stances, or liberal reasoning for conservative stances.
The first and strongest of my liberal stances is the current state of the war on drugs. I think we need to fundamentally rethink this one. First I’m for the legalization of marijuana. I’m also open to the idea of legalizing cocaine. There are a number of reasons people oppose the legalization of drugs, but they boil down to they are bad for you. Agreed they are bad for you. There are a lot of other things that are just as bad or worse that are legal. Cigarettes and alcohol are by far much more dangerous than both marijuana and cocaine. Additionally by criminalizing these products we have essentially given the criminals an endless supply of fiscal resources. By decriminalizing we can decriminalize the fiscal trail and structure of the drug industry. That by itself will increase stability and safety both abroad and in the United States. I noticed also that conservatives are all about minimal government until it is something they oppose, and then they want a whole lot of government. I’m not saying just drop all laws regarding drugs. In fact I’m for heavy regulation. I just think the decision to do drugs of the listed types I mentioned are a personal one which government should be the absolute arbiter of. Government should have a significant say, but that say should be relegated to consumer and public safety, not individual choice. Once again I’m not advocating the use of drugs, just its legal status.
The second issue that seems odd for some is my stance on gun regulation. I’m against gun regulations in general. I know that is a very conservative stance. However, my reasoning is odd to most people. Most gun advocates claim that guns are a positive force in society. I make no such claim. Most objective studies I’ve read are pretty inconclusive about the effects of guns in a society. What I do know is that guns and our right to have them are a part of our constitutional system. That’s right it doesn’t matter if guns are good or bad, they are a part of our system of laws on the highest level. If you want to regulate guns on the level that anti gun advocates want then make a constitutional amendment. Also this is one area where the liberal side confuses me. The goal of gun legislation has been to reduce gun violence. I would say that most anti gun advocates don’t see guns as being inherently evil. I totally agree gun violence is a bad thing. However we have the law thing I mentioned above. Also I have yet to read a report that conclusively proves that gun bans reduce gun violence. This is what I have seen. In areas where there are high levels of gun violence there are three factors that are almost universal: the presence of a drug cartel or gang, local government corruption, and poverty. Gun violence is a symptom of those factors. One of the things liberals do well is they point out that we shouldn’t treat the symptoms of a problem but try to get at its root. They seem to ignore this when it comes to gun violence. Fight poverty, government corruption, and legalize drugs as the method of gun control. I guess where I depart from the standard conservative stance on this issue is that I don’t consider guns a positive force for society. I honestly don’t know if it is or not.
Third is health care. I’m open to the idea of a national socialized health care system. Wow, I’m a pinko commie. My reasoning for this is actually pretty conservative based. The biggest factor in a successful capitalistic system is healthy competition. Healthy competition is increases as entry levels for a particular sector are low. Thus if an entry barrier to a sector is high then the likely hood of healthy competition is low. One of the sectors that are killing healthy competition in other sectors is the entry level barrier that health care places on any given sector. Somewhere along the line we made this assertion that healthcare is tied to employment. What that did is and an entry level barrier that makes large scale business very difficult. Ford Motors should be in the business of making auto products, not in the business of providing healthcare. Likewise any new business should be in the business of making stuff, or whatever they do, not providing healthcare services. Another factor to economic well being is that healthcare tied to employment is also a large risk enhancer. This by far prevents innovations because it makes the risks so high for new small business that one can’t quit their job and try something else because the risk has been increased. Lets separate this mutilated thing of our current healthcare system where care is tied to employment.
That’s about it. I’m sure there are a lot of other confusing stances I have. But in case anybody doubts I’m a conservative, I have been seriously considering adopting the stance that we should abolish social security. I have a lot of caveats to that but that stance should make me a right wing nut job right?
I guess my long history of viewing myself as a conservative came with how my parents raised me. Most notably my parents worked me into the ground. I remember countless times hauling longs on my back, bailing hay, installing sprinklers, digging up stumps, and all sorts of things that required a lot of work. You would think that all this work created a good work ethic in me. It didn’t. I’m lazy, real lazy. What it did do is destroy any sense of entitlement in me. I felt that the world owed me nothing. The rewards I go t for my hard work was usually a Pepsi and a ham and cheese sandwich. I’m not saying that liberals don’t know work, or have a sense of entitlements, but that is just the way I perceived the world when I was developing my identity.
I got this image of the world as place that had no duty to me; it was just someplace that one worked in. The world didn’t have a moral obligation to me in anyway. My success for failure was due to the sweat of my own brow, or lack thereof. I have a much more complicated view of duty and relationships now, but fundamentally I still think that there is no inherent love due you by the world. Love and the duties that come with it are a gift of the individual. Due to the tugs and pulls of my life I became an extremist. So that is a very vague sense of what I mean by conservative and how I got there. I do realize that on some key issues I have some confusing results. I can think of three examples of me having what people might consider liberal stances, or liberal reasoning for conservative stances.
The first and strongest of my liberal stances is the current state of the war on drugs. I think we need to fundamentally rethink this one. First I’m for the legalization of marijuana. I’m also open to the idea of legalizing cocaine. There are a number of reasons people oppose the legalization of drugs, but they boil down to they are bad for you. Agreed they are bad for you. There are a lot of other things that are just as bad or worse that are legal. Cigarettes and alcohol are by far much more dangerous than both marijuana and cocaine. Additionally by criminalizing these products we have essentially given the criminals an endless supply of fiscal resources. By decriminalizing we can decriminalize the fiscal trail and structure of the drug industry. That by itself will increase stability and safety both abroad and in the United States. I noticed also that conservatives are all about minimal government until it is something they oppose, and then they want a whole lot of government. I’m not saying just drop all laws regarding drugs. In fact I’m for heavy regulation. I just think the decision to do drugs of the listed types I mentioned are a personal one which government should be the absolute arbiter of. Government should have a significant say, but that say should be relegated to consumer and public safety, not individual choice. Once again I’m not advocating the use of drugs, just its legal status.
The second issue that seems odd for some is my stance on gun regulation. I’m against gun regulations in general. I know that is a very conservative stance. However, my reasoning is odd to most people. Most gun advocates claim that guns are a positive force in society. I make no such claim. Most objective studies I’ve read are pretty inconclusive about the effects of guns in a society. What I do know is that guns and our right to have them are a part of our constitutional system. That’s right it doesn’t matter if guns are good or bad, they are a part of our system of laws on the highest level. If you want to regulate guns on the level that anti gun advocates want then make a constitutional amendment. Also this is one area where the liberal side confuses me. The goal of gun legislation has been to reduce gun violence. I would say that most anti gun advocates don’t see guns as being inherently evil. I totally agree gun violence is a bad thing. However we have the law thing I mentioned above. Also I have yet to read a report that conclusively proves that gun bans reduce gun violence. This is what I have seen. In areas where there are high levels of gun violence there are three factors that are almost universal: the presence of a drug cartel or gang, local government corruption, and poverty. Gun violence is a symptom of those factors. One of the things liberals do well is they point out that we shouldn’t treat the symptoms of a problem but try to get at its root. They seem to ignore this when it comes to gun violence. Fight poverty, government corruption, and legalize drugs as the method of gun control. I guess where I depart from the standard conservative stance on this issue is that I don’t consider guns a positive force for society. I honestly don’t know if it is or not.
Third is health care. I’m open to the idea of a national socialized health care system. Wow, I’m a pinko commie. My reasoning for this is actually pretty conservative based. The biggest factor in a successful capitalistic system is healthy competition. Healthy competition is increases as entry levels for a particular sector are low. Thus if an entry barrier to a sector is high then the likely hood of healthy competition is low. One of the sectors that are killing healthy competition in other sectors is the entry level barrier that health care places on any given sector. Somewhere along the line we made this assertion that healthcare is tied to employment. What that did is and an entry level barrier that makes large scale business very difficult. Ford Motors should be in the business of making auto products, not in the business of providing healthcare. Likewise any new business should be in the business of making stuff, or whatever they do, not providing healthcare services. Another factor to economic well being is that healthcare tied to employment is also a large risk enhancer. This by far prevents innovations because it makes the risks so high for new small business that one can’t quit their job and try something else because the risk has been increased. Lets separate this mutilated thing of our current healthcare system where care is tied to employment.
That’s about it. I’m sure there are a lot of other confusing stances I have. But in case anybody doubts I’m a conservative, I have been seriously considering adopting the stance that we should abolish social security. I have a lot of caveats to that but that stance should make me a right wing nut job right?
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Going Geo Poll on Your Keyster
I generally don't like to blog about anything of importance because one I generally don't have anything smart to say about most topics, and two someone might take me seriously and try to use my thoughts in their decision making process. I do make exceptions and here is one of them (this is an even bigger oddity because I actually give a hyperlink to an article).
I was reading my news volley and I came across this article. To sum up it is basically highlighting what was, is and will be a series of conflicts in the Pakistan region.
A couple of thoughts entered my mind in no particular order:
Pakistan's long history of using guerrilla warfare groups in its national defense plan is finally coming back to haunt them. Pakistan's continuing use of such military tactics seems to be out of line for the type of country Pakistan is trying to project to the rest of the world.
The wisdom of negotiating with the Taliban is questionable. If one is to do so it must have carefully crafted guidelines or things could get out of hand real quick.
The Taliban has never been a group to accept peaceful conflict resolution as something worth striving for. Not to say that this is uncommon in the world, but that's just how they view things. Violence is a part of their history. Some may say the same things about the United States. I wouldn't though.
Despite what people may think problems like the ones that originated in Afghanistan aren't strictly regional. Like most deceases they spread.
The United States Economy is not the most concerning thing right now.
Well that's it nothing really new. Just seems so odd that this kind of thing is getting so little press or attention. Maybe it is the NBA and NHL playoffs. It might be the NFL draft. I have to admit I'm a little caught up in it myself.
I was reading my news volley and I came across this article. To sum up it is basically highlighting what was, is and will be a series of conflicts in the Pakistan region.
A couple of thoughts entered my mind in no particular order:
Pakistan's long history of using guerrilla warfare groups in its national defense plan is finally coming back to haunt them. Pakistan's continuing use of such military tactics seems to be out of line for the type of country Pakistan is trying to project to the rest of the world.
The wisdom of negotiating with the Taliban is questionable. If one is to do so it must have carefully crafted guidelines or things could get out of hand real quick.
The Taliban has never been a group to accept peaceful conflict resolution as something worth striving for. Not to say that this is uncommon in the world, but that's just how they view things. Violence is a part of their history. Some may say the same things about the United States. I wouldn't though.
Despite what people may think problems like the ones that originated in Afghanistan aren't strictly regional. Like most deceases they spread.
The United States Economy is not the most concerning thing right now.
Well that's it nothing really new. Just seems so odd that this kind of thing is getting so little press or attention. Maybe it is the NBA and NHL playoffs. It might be the NFL draft. I have to admit I'm a little caught up in it myself.
Monday, December 01, 2008
Humble Pie
Well it is getting close to Christmas. What that means for me is I usually allow myself to get out of shape, eat to much, and in general not take good care of myself. On the plus side I have always associated Christmas with going back to Utah and visiting family and friends.
As I think about going back to Utah I can't help notice how many things are going right in my life. I can't remember a time when I've been happier. With all this good stuff going on I got really paranoid lately. Not that anything bad would happen but when you think things are going oh so good is when God, or life, or whatever you believe generally breaks out the humble stick and gives you a good smack across the face with it.
Now some may say that I'm just a pessimist. Not true, I generally think things will work out for the better and good things will happen. I suppose it is a mental disorder that I have. I remember when I was under a reasonable suspicion that my life was a Truman Show kind of thing, where the events in my life and the people in it were based on some kind of ratings feedback. So yes I'm crazy.
On a completely unrelated note, things I have said while I regret saying are still true:
"You know Death Cab has some really good songs out."
"Freebird rocks man!"
"Look if that sandwich hits the ground I'm still eating it."
"You know punk is the new disco."
"Oh my Hanna! There is a GI Joe movie coming out!"
"Yeah he's not going to walk again."
As I think about going back to Utah I can't help notice how many things are going right in my life. I can't remember a time when I've been happier. With all this good stuff going on I got really paranoid lately. Not that anything bad would happen but when you think things are going oh so good is when God, or life, or whatever you believe generally breaks out the humble stick and gives you a good smack across the face with it.
Now some may say that I'm just a pessimist. Not true, I generally think things will work out for the better and good things will happen. I suppose it is a mental disorder that I have. I remember when I was under a reasonable suspicion that my life was a Truman Show kind of thing, where the events in my life and the people in it were based on some kind of ratings feedback. So yes I'm crazy.
On a completely unrelated note, things I have said while I regret saying are still true:
"You know Death Cab has some really good songs out."
"Freebird rocks man!"
"Look if that sandwich hits the ground I'm still eating it."
"You know punk is the new disco."
"Oh my Hanna! There is a GI Joe movie coming out!"
"Yeah he's not going to walk again."
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
Long Time
So it has been a while. I won't apologize because well I blog for myself and I've been having to good of a time while I have not been blogging.
I'm extremely happy that the Steelers are 4-1. The Cubs lost, big time. I always love seeing the crushed look of all those Cubs fans. It makes my day. It's like an abusive relationship without any of the horrible stuff. You know it starts with a good romance at the start, the you get punched in the face, the next thing you know your partner says they will change and begs you not to leave, then they do things to make you think they might change, then you forgive them and forget the pain, and then ta da! That's the number one reason why I like baseball, Cubs fans.
I'm trying to get back into shape after taking a month off. On that note I've taken to calling everything fatty. You know I'm going to Mc Fatty's, I'm going to eat a fatty roll, and the list goes on and on.
I also just found out that the Japanese are now using monkeys to work in restaurants. Isn't this how Planet of the Apes started? I'm going to hate working for our ape overlords. I accept it though.
I'm extremely happy that the Steelers are 4-1. The Cubs lost, big time. I always love seeing the crushed look of all those Cubs fans. It makes my day. It's like an abusive relationship without any of the horrible stuff. You know it starts with a good romance at the start, the you get punched in the face, the next thing you know your partner says they will change and begs you not to leave, then they do things to make you think they might change, then you forgive them and forget the pain, and then ta da! That's the number one reason why I like baseball, Cubs fans.
I'm trying to get back into shape after taking a month off. On that note I've taken to calling everything fatty. You know I'm going to Mc Fatty's, I'm going to eat a fatty roll, and the list goes on and on.
I also just found out that the Japanese are now using monkeys to work in restaurants. Isn't this how Planet of the Apes started? I'm going to hate working for our ape overlords. I accept it though.
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Strange Observations
I've noticed a couple of things about myself now that I have had my wisdom teeth pulled. First it is much easier to floss than in the past, and second I've gained a bit of weight since then. I don't know if it is related.
Another thing that has been resurfacing in my mind is the legal drinking age. I would like to state that I am not a proponent of drinking spirited beverages. I think in general they lead to bad choices and ultimately diminish how much fun one could have. On that note I think it is ridiculous that we have the drinking age at 21. The justification I always get from people is that a person from the age of 18-20 is to young and immature to make an educated decision about drinking spirited beverages. Yet we say at the age of 18 they are wise enough to vote. Better yet when you are 17-18 we allow you to sign a contract to serve your country by going to a far land and looking for things designed to kill people, then engage those things. Those are big boy rules and decisions. Something like that requires a lot of adult decision making because that is a life changing decision. Its funny how much we as a society lean on the backs of young people yet refuse to treat them like full citizens.
I hate being sick. I mean I really hate it. Even when I'm "not sick" anymore it takes me weeks to get back to 100% I hate it. I also hate having allergies. Allergies are like the sickness you can always have. I know it could be worse I could have cancer, or some other real illness.
Speaching of cancer, I've always wondered if cancer is a mechanism for evolution in the human speicies and by combating it so much in the long, long term we are shooting ourselves in the foot? Just an abstract mobid thought that maybe a plot in science fiction book one day.
Another thing that has been resurfacing in my mind is the legal drinking age. I would like to state that I am not a proponent of drinking spirited beverages. I think in general they lead to bad choices and ultimately diminish how much fun one could have. On that note I think it is ridiculous that we have the drinking age at 21. The justification I always get from people is that a person from the age of 18-20 is to young and immature to make an educated decision about drinking spirited beverages. Yet we say at the age of 18 they are wise enough to vote. Better yet when you are 17-18 we allow you to sign a contract to serve your country by going to a far land and looking for things designed to kill people, then engage those things. Those are big boy rules and decisions. Something like that requires a lot of adult decision making because that is a life changing decision. Its funny how much we as a society lean on the backs of young people yet refuse to treat them like full citizens.
I hate being sick. I mean I really hate it. Even when I'm "not sick" anymore it takes me weeks to get back to 100% I hate it. I also hate having allergies. Allergies are like the sickness you can always have. I know it could be worse I could have cancer, or some other real illness.
Speaching of cancer, I've always wondered if cancer is a mechanism for evolution in the human speicies and by combating it so much in the long, long term we are shooting ourselves in the foot? Just an abstract mobid thought that maybe a plot in science fiction book one day.
Friday, April 04, 2008
House of Pain
I am a geek. I am a nerd. I am a dork. Some would say that there is a difference in the three categories, but it is of little importance as I am all three. Being a geeknerddorkmanbearpig, I tend to enjoy top whatever lists. I've noticed it has been over a month since I last looked at, let alone, made a top something list. Nothing really came to mind. Recently I've been feeling sore, tired, and in general broken down. So here is my top five activities that will get you sore and make you feel like Father Time is taking his toll. A couple of notes on the list, the list is based on intensity, quality, area, time, and uniqueness of the pain. So here we go.
5. Running long distance. What do I mean by long distance? I mean six miles plus or an hour plus running, which ever comes later. Running like this can make your quads, calves, and joints sore. Sometimes you get the lower back thing going but rarely. The thing that makes running appear on the list is the pain you get in your feet. While the intensity isn't really there, the quality and areas affected will definitely affect your mobility, making you feel old. An added bonus for new runners, all the phlegm and mucus you cough up after the run.
4. Using a jack hammer for a long time. If you use a jack hammer for about eight hours your body will feel like it has been beat up head to toe. Your joints in the shoulder and hand area will just hurt. This gets placed above running because of the intensity of the pain. You do feel really old when you can't open jars or hold cups because of the pain. You can still move around a bit but heck you hurt.
3. Iron Mike and Duck Walk. Iron Mike for about 100 meters the immediately turn around and Duck Walk back; that counts as one set. If you do six to eight sets you are in business. Everything lower that your lower back will be sore. It will also be so intense that you will find things like standing up, using the bathroom, and sitting down painful. You have no mobility and it last for several days.
2. Holding your head off the ground. Get a helmet that is about six to seven pounds. Wear helmet. Get in the sit up position. Hold head off the ground for about 20 to 45 minutes. Your neck is so sore after you can't get out of bed because you can't get your head off the pillow.
1. Forced road march. Get an external frame back pack. Load pack with at least 25% of your body weight or 33 pounds, whichever is greater. Now march at least six mile at a 13:30 minute mile pace. This will get you sore from your neck to your feet. Your feet will be so sore that you can't walk. Your back will be hurting so much you can't move. Your legs will be sore, you get the picture. This last for days and the intensity is so huge that all you can think about for the first two days is how much you hurt.
Why do you want to do these things? With the exception of running you really don't. Then again what good are top whatever lists anyway?
Monday, March 24, 2008
I am Girl Hear me Roar
I got sick about four days ago. It got me real tired. Tired to the point where I just slept and said to heck with any kind of exercise. I finally got over it today and decided to go on a long run to get all the bugs out. I went to a fitness club that I am a member of and started running on the track. It was a good run for the most part. About an hour into it a new group entered the track. One of them was a girl that could not have been older than 11. She started running and it was apparent she was having a good time. She was zigg zagging, and a smile on her face and a spring in her step. Then I noticed she was slowing down drasticly. I was catching up to her pretty fast. When I got within about 10 meters she just darted off extending the distance zigg zagging and laughing, then she would slow down and wait till I got close again, then piff she was off again. I thought oh no there is no way an 11 year old girl is going to show me up on a track. So I picked up the pace. As she kept on darting ahead of me I realized I couldn't catch this girl no matter how much I tried. It was sort of demoralizing seeing this little girl out run me, laughing the whole time, while I couldn't stop thinking how much my feet were burning. Granted I was running for about an hour before her and I was coming off an illness, but still.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Keeping it Real with RealFruitBeverage
When I think about myself who I am and what I am I sometimes find some interesting generalities that extend to a larger group besides me. To the ladies who read this blog (all two or maybe three of you) I'm going to let you in on a little secret about men. The vast majority of men are jealous and violent. I'm not saying all guys are that way, but enough to say you can assume that a guy is a jealous and violent person unless proven otherwise. This generality is limited I think to romantic relations for the most part. I don't know where these tendencies come from: are they socially taught, do they come from a sense of inadequacy or lack of self esteem, is it biologically hard wired for us to want to dominate competitors, or are we just jerks? I don't know, and I'm sure the reasons for a guy being jealous and having violent thoughts vary from guy to guy and are probably a mixture of different factors. So the cause is complicated. I'm not making a commentary on the cause I'm simply stating what is.
I know what the couple of ladies are saying, "wait I know plenty of guys who aren't that way, or I've dated several guys that aren't that way, or I'm married to a great man who isn't that way." Another argument if my claim is true, why aren't guys just beating the life out of each other all the time? This becomes an issue of guys controlling tendencies or the output of thoughts. That is to say while you might have a perfectly calm and reasonable guy on the outside, inside he is a turbulent storm, or he just wants to punch the face in of another guy he is jealous of and of course he is jealous. I have a lot of friends that are mild mannered. From them I've heard them say they would like to punch in the face every ex a girlfriend has had, or bite the nose off of all the ex's, set fire to an ex's car, stab, shoot, elbow, or put an ex in a reverse arm bar and whisper something unpleasant in his ear while thinking that the poor sap has no idea he will never be able to use that arm again.
We don't act out these very real desires for a number of reasons. The most common pointed to (but I don't know if it is the most common reason) is we know that things like that are wrong so we choose not to execute these very real desires. Other reasons range from fear of doing the act, inability, laziness, and many others. The reasons and excuses not to act on our jealousy in a violent manner are enough to keep the male population in good behavior for the most part. But remember no matter how mild mannered a guy seems there is a good chance he has very strong real feelings of jealousy that express themselves in violent thoughts.
I'm not advocating men do act on such desires or that feeling this way is a good thing. I just think it is important to recognize every once in a while that there are things about us that aren't pleasant.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Random Road Thoughts
I've had a moment now after my vacation to think about what kind of person I have become. I've really been neglecting being introspective. One way to catch up on who you are is a long road trip, alone. I had the opportunity to drive from Utah to Seattle so I could have my vehicle shipped to Alaska. I didn't do much thinking about myself as I normally do when presented with such an opportunity, but I did notice a lot of things that I have been affected by. I watch Futurama quit a bit and one of the sayings goes, "You watched it now you can't unwatch it!" There is an interesting concept in that phrase. Once you take something in the mind you really can't undo what it did. Now this doesn't hold true for some things, but it does for law school. As I was crossing the Utah border entering Idaho; do you know what thought entered my mind? It wasn't oh I'm entering a new state, or I wonder what different radio stations I'll encounter, or does the speed limit change here, or does this mean I'll get some different scenery. I thought I'm entering a new jurisdiction and body of law. I realized I will never be normal when compared to the rest of society.
When traveling through a section of one unnamed state I thought, "Man the radio music sucks here." I then did another seek on the radio. I found a station to my liking. It played two songs in a row that I really liked. Then it got a little strange, the station then played a little Radio Head. I was thinking that this was a strange mix as I got two classic rock songs and then Radio Head. I kept listening out of pure fascination. Would you know it the Shins came on the air. Nobody plays The Shins, let alone in a lineup that has Radio Head and two really good classic rock songs. I was thinking I discovered pure gold. I couldn't wait for the next song. To my surprise they played one of my favorite rap songs of all time. That's when I realized it wasn't a radio station but just my ipod broadcasting.
Friday, November 23, 2007
Not Home Yet
I haven’t known what home really is in the past year and a half or so. I haven’t been able to place roots down. I think I’ve moved too much, spent too much time from my old home, and changed too much to call my old place home. People always say home is where the heart is. My heart is generally where all my loved ones are. But as this last year went by more and more of my loved ones have dispersed. My heart isn’t really anywhere, not that I’m a drifter. My heart has roots but just not in a place. I think I’ve taken one more step in finding my new home.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Hate Speech
One of my favorite topics to think and talk about is zombies. Why? I don’t know. Another thing I do a lot is argue. Great facilitators for argument are top X number lists. My work buddies and I started to talk about various zombie scenarios and what would be the top whatever for such and such situation. I noticed a trend in our discussions, when I talk about zombies taking over I refer to it as a zombie infestation while my work buddies call them zombie insurrections.
You are probably wondering what the big deal is. Come on they both start with the letter “I” and heck it really doesn’t change the reality of ten thousand zombies looking to eat your delicious brains. See these words are the beginnings of a serious point, zombies are not people! As you can see the word insurrection implies some kind of rebellion. In that implication is the notion that zombies have some kind of intelligence, a will even. With a will we can even attempt to say they might have a soul, or rights. Let’s get this straight people zombies while once human are not humans. The more we start using human quality words on them the more dangerous it becomes. One of the classic mistakes made in every zombie movie is having feelings of attachment for a zombie that was once a loved one. The zombie lover then falls prey to their attachment because they don’t realize that this isn’t a human and you got a zombie loose on the inside of your defenses. Zombies are a disease or at best an invasion of an unwanted entity. Heck I would say that zombies aren’t even alive, they are the undead after all. Think this is not a problem; just look at all the zombie movies that are starting to add little human characteristics to zombies. We have a problem; when the infestation does happen we can have no doubt, zombies must go. Remember the Simpsons episode where Homer ends up at his house being chased by flesh eating mutants and they start talking peace, and then they blast them? We need to have that kind of mentality.
Other fine points of zombie infestations I would like to make, a chain saw is not a good melee weapon. First it can run out of fuel. That is the last thing you want in a melee weapon. Second it is extremely heavy. Granted it can cause a lot of damage but that leads to three, the amount of splatter with a chain saw is high. The amount of fluids that could possibly transmit the zombie bug (for the sci-fi zombie scenarios where it is a virus that causes it) increases dramatically and increases the odds you will be infected which is death. My personal choice is an aluminum bat. It is light and causes a lot of blunt trauma. This mean you can hit the head of the zombie (its only true weak spot) and not worry about a lot of issues. Wooden blunt objects are to prone to breaking thus the aluminum bat is a better choice. There are some other blunt melee weapons that are good but generally to heavy. I think you will fatigue and be swarmed.
There is still a robust debate regarding which vehicle would be best. I’m of the opinion that one where you can limit in and out access to the top of it and good fuel economy are considerations. The best place to hold up has been Walmart, but I don’t think that is an absolute conclusion. I’ve also tossed the idea around that an area with extreme cold weather would be a good spot to. Zombies must have extremely low heat output thus they would freeze and basically be harmless or even better completely neutralized. Alaska would be a good consideration, sort of like the latest Resident Evil movie (we thought of this way before the movie by the way and they didn’t even site the cold as a possible advantage).
Just remember zombies are not humans. If that sounds like a hate speech, then call me a zombie hater.
You are probably wondering what the big deal is. Come on they both start with the letter “I” and heck it really doesn’t change the reality of ten thousand zombies looking to eat your delicious brains. See these words are the beginnings of a serious point, zombies are not people! As you can see the word insurrection implies some kind of rebellion. In that implication is the notion that zombies have some kind of intelligence, a will even. With a will we can even attempt to say they might have a soul, or rights. Let’s get this straight people zombies while once human are not humans. The more we start using human quality words on them the more dangerous it becomes. One of the classic mistakes made in every zombie movie is having feelings of attachment for a zombie that was once a loved one. The zombie lover then falls prey to their attachment because they don’t realize that this isn’t a human and you got a zombie loose on the inside of your defenses. Zombies are a disease or at best an invasion of an unwanted entity. Heck I would say that zombies aren’t even alive, they are the undead after all. Think this is not a problem; just look at all the zombie movies that are starting to add little human characteristics to zombies. We have a problem; when the infestation does happen we can have no doubt, zombies must go. Remember the Simpsons episode where Homer ends up at his house being chased by flesh eating mutants and they start talking peace, and then they blast them? We need to have that kind of mentality.
Other fine points of zombie infestations I would like to make, a chain saw is not a good melee weapon. First it can run out of fuel. That is the last thing you want in a melee weapon. Second it is extremely heavy. Granted it can cause a lot of damage but that leads to three, the amount of splatter with a chain saw is high. The amount of fluids that could possibly transmit the zombie bug (for the sci-fi zombie scenarios where it is a virus that causes it) increases dramatically and increases the odds you will be infected which is death. My personal choice is an aluminum bat. It is light and causes a lot of blunt trauma. This mean you can hit the head of the zombie (its only true weak spot) and not worry about a lot of issues. Wooden blunt objects are to prone to breaking thus the aluminum bat is a better choice. There are some other blunt melee weapons that are good but generally to heavy. I think you will fatigue and be swarmed.
There is still a robust debate regarding which vehicle would be best. I’m of the opinion that one where you can limit in and out access to the top of it and good fuel economy are considerations. The best place to hold up has been Walmart, but I don’t think that is an absolute conclusion. I’ve also tossed the idea around that an area with extreme cold weather would be a good spot to. Zombies must have extremely low heat output thus they would freeze and basically be harmless or even better completely neutralized. Alaska would be a good consideration, sort of like the latest Resident Evil movie (we thought of this way before the movie by the way and they didn’t even site the cold as a possible advantage).
Just remember zombies are not humans. If that sounds like a hate speech, then call me a zombie hater.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
The Power of Empty Words
It is a shame that often words of importance only matter to people where we don’t have to worry about those words. There is an upcoming issue with the word “genocide”. US lawmakers are poised to pass a resolution on whether or not to call the 1915 mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks during the WWI time frame, genocide. There is a bit of political tension on this topic. Modern Turkey is an important NATO ally with the United States. Currently Turkey is strategically important to the United States joint operations in Iraq.
This issue, being political, is complicated. It is clear that calling the activities that happened during the time frame of the Armenian mass killings/genocide, genocide would embarrass Turkey. Turkey has already received a rebuff from the West by being denied membership in the EU. France has taken it a step further and made a law making it illegal to say the killings were not genocide. For all of Turkey’s efforts to demonstrate that it is a modern westernized state it hasn’t been given much slack.
Turkey’s claim is not an outright denial of the killings. Rather they point to the fall of the Ottoman Turk Empire and the chaos that followed as the cause of the killing. The killings according the Turkish government wasn’t a planned and organized slaughter like the Nazis. People of this view generally contend that it is not the business of government to define history, let the historians define it. They propose that academics examine all the records on both the Turk and Armenian side and render a verdict.
The view mentioned seems very reasonable. Unfortunately for that stance, the majority of historians have concluded that it was genocide. The argument of defining genocide being an academic endeavor not a government one has some weight to it. I keep wondering why the government would call something genocide if it is recognized as genocide by historians. The only answer I can think of is that it must have some kind of legal ramifications and actions to follow. Another possibility is putting the country on notice that we are aware of the past history of genocide and it won’t happen again.
The odd thing is from my understanding of Turkey; the odds of another genocidal incident would be pretty rare. So it comes down to some kind of legal action right? Well the classification is useless. It isn’t going to lead to sanctions or some kind of reprimand.
I got to thinking about the broader issue of genocide and what it means in the United States. Genocide is a nasty word. It is on par with being liken unto Hitler or a communist. I want to be candid about what I think genocide means in the United States. What I might say will probably offend people so you’ve been warned, stop reading now. People in the United States don’t care about genocide. We fake it. It might be more accurate to say we don’t care enough about genocide, but I’m sticking to my guns, we don’t care about genocide. We feign our strong distaste for genocide. I know what you are going to say, every American opposes genocide. Really, on what level?
My case for my point is Darfur. We’ve know genocide was/is happening. It was just a matter of reporting the numbers. Don’t tell me the public doesn’t know. Time dedicated a lot of recourses reporting on it (excellently I might add). All those rock stars and movie stars have been yelling about it for some time now. What have we done? Nothing. Let me bring it home for you. For those of you who pray where is genocide on the list of things you pray about? Does it wrench your heart to know that genocide is going on? How much do you feel knowing that thousands upon thousands of innocents are being killed? Do you think daily what sacrifices you can make to help it stop? Have you cried one tear for the dead of Darfur? Would you be willing to give up your new HD TV to help, or your PS3, Xbox 360, your new ipod, or how about Christmas, would you be willing to give all that you would receive for Christmas to save one life in Darfur? Well you’ve been able to for several years now, and I’m willing to bet just like me you haven’t done a thing. That’s right we have been able to do something and we haven’t. So when we say Americans care about genocide are we just puffing up and putting on a good face? I think so.
It is hard for me. Realizing how magnificent we were created to be yet seeing how despicable we are. I know my pain gives little to my penitence for inaction, but I suppose it is something, just not something that means anything to the dead. Humanity is an odd meal to eat. It’s flavor a constant paradox.
This issue, being political, is complicated. It is clear that calling the activities that happened during the time frame of the Armenian mass killings/genocide, genocide would embarrass Turkey. Turkey has already received a rebuff from the West by being denied membership in the EU. France has taken it a step further and made a law making it illegal to say the killings were not genocide. For all of Turkey’s efforts to demonstrate that it is a modern westernized state it hasn’t been given much slack.
Turkey’s claim is not an outright denial of the killings. Rather they point to the fall of the Ottoman Turk Empire and the chaos that followed as the cause of the killing. The killings according the Turkish government wasn’t a planned and organized slaughter like the Nazis. People of this view generally contend that it is not the business of government to define history, let the historians define it. They propose that academics examine all the records on both the Turk and Armenian side and render a verdict.
The view mentioned seems very reasonable. Unfortunately for that stance, the majority of historians have concluded that it was genocide. The argument of defining genocide being an academic endeavor not a government one has some weight to it. I keep wondering why the government would call something genocide if it is recognized as genocide by historians. The only answer I can think of is that it must have some kind of legal ramifications and actions to follow. Another possibility is putting the country on notice that we are aware of the past history of genocide and it won’t happen again.
The odd thing is from my understanding of Turkey; the odds of another genocidal incident would be pretty rare. So it comes down to some kind of legal action right? Well the classification is useless. It isn’t going to lead to sanctions or some kind of reprimand.
I got to thinking about the broader issue of genocide and what it means in the United States. Genocide is a nasty word. It is on par with being liken unto Hitler or a communist. I want to be candid about what I think genocide means in the United States. What I might say will probably offend people so you’ve been warned, stop reading now. People in the United States don’t care about genocide. We fake it. It might be more accurate to say we don’t care enough about genocide, but I’m sticking to my guns, we don’t care about genocide. We feign our strong distaste for genocide. I know what you are going to say, every American opposes genocide. Really, on what level?
My case for my point is Darfur. We’ve know genocide was/is happening. It was just a matter of reporting the numbers. Don’t tell me the public doesn’t know. Time dedicated a lot of recourses reporting on it (excellently I might add). All those rock stars and movie stars have been yelling about it for some time now. What have we done? Nothing. Let me bring it home for you. For those of you who pray where is genocide on the list of things you pray about? Does it wrench your heart to know that genocide is going on? How much do you feel knowing that thousands upon thousands of innocents are being killed? Do you think daily what sacrifices you can make to help it stop? Have you cried one tear for the dead of Darfur? Would you be willing to give up your new HD TV to help, or your PS3, Xbox 360, your new ipod, or how about Christmas, would you be willing to give all that you would receive for Christmas to save one life in Darfur? Well you’ve been able to for several years now, and I’m willing to bet just like me you haven’t done a thing. That’s right we have been able to do something and we haven’t. So when we say Americans care about genocide are we just puffing up and putting on a good face? I think so.
It is hard for me. Realizing how magnificent we were created to be yet seeing how despicable we are. I know my pain gives little to my penitence for inaction, but I suppose it is something, just not something that means anything to the dead. Humanity is an odd meal to eat. It’s flavor a constant paradox.
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Suprise
Jake finally woke up to the buzz sound of his alarm clock. He was careful in selecting which alarm he would buy. This particular clock had the helpful and reassuring feature of non-stop buzzing. He felt dull even though he was supposedly sharpening himself for the last four days. His dreams were stressful, even though he really couldn’t recall what they were about. Looking over his cramp quarters, Jake tried to make an inventory of things he need to do right away, maybe he could get some order in his mind if he couldn’t generate such in the piles of chaos he called his room.
Looking over his equipment Jake made his final double check to make sure they were in accordance to the specifications published for the board of review. Seeing his weapon so clean gave Jake a grin. The fabric on his body armor was brushed and soaped clean. Everything was in order, double checked the night before and checked again this morning. Topics, facts, and questions began to buzz in Jake’s mind: numbers, words, definitions, protocols, and on and on. Doubt seemed to cling to very thing he had memorized, but a doubtful recall was all he had and it was better than nothing.
He was told that boards were all about confidence. Confidence was so important that even fake confidence was better than the truth. Well a little fake goes a long way in presentations. Being pulled off the line would be considered a vacation by some, but he couldn’t help feel a little guilty. This was strictly a career move. This board would set him up for another, and eventually an early promotion board. He felt a little sick. He didn’t know if it was the time of day or how he felt. Jake had the feeling all he needed to do was show up and he would win. It was almost set up that way from the get go.
As the door opened and the early light hit his eyes, Jake contemplated what deep thoughts he could gather. Wonderings of the nature of competition, the worth of knowledge, and even his self interest entered his mind. Even though everyone he worked with understood him leaving the line for just a little bit, he couldn’t understand it, or come to grips with it. He just knew that it was what everyone expected anyone to do.
Then it hit him. Like a shimmering glossed katana edge, wait it was a simmering katana edge. A kia was sounded and in a flash the dark shadow zoomed past, steel on flesh. Luckily the victim was only sliced on the meaty parts of his legs. Obviously a low level ninja, otherwise Jake would be dead. “Great” Jake thought, “I get ambushed by a ninja right before the board, who would have thought.” “Well I better stop the bleeding, where’s my medical pouch?”
Looking over his equipment Jake made his final double check to make sure they were in accordance to the specifications published for the board of review. Seeing his weapon so clean gave Jake a grin. The fabric on his body armor was brushed and soaped clean. Everything was in order, double checked the night before and checked again this morning. Topics, facts, and questions began to buzz in Jake’s mind: numbers, words, definitions, protocols, and on and on. Doubt seemed to cling to very thing he had memorized, but a doubtful recall was all he had and it was better than nothing.
He was told that boards were all about confidence. Confidence was so important that even fake confidence was better than the truth. Well a little fake goes a long way in presentations. Being pulled off the line would be considered a vacation by some, but he couldn’t help feel a little guilty. This was strictly a career move. This board would set him up for another, and eventually an early promotion board. He felt a little sick. He didn’t know if it was the time of day or how he felt. Jake had the feeling all he needed to do was show up and he would win. It was almost set up that way from the get go.
As the door opened and the early light hit his eyes, Jake contemplated what deep thoughts he could gather. Wonderings of the nature of competition, the worth of knowledge, and even his self interest entered his mind. Even though everyone he worked with understood him leaving the line for just a little bit, he couldn’t understand it, or come to grips with it. He just knew that it was what everyone expected anyone to do.
Then it hit him. Like a shimmering glossed katana edge, wait it was a simmering katana edge. A kia was sounded and in a flash the dark shadow zoomed past, steel on flesh. Luckily the victim was only sliced on the meaty parts of his legs. Obviously a low level ninja, otherwise Jake would be dead. “Great” Jake thought, “I get ambushed by a ninja right before the board, who would have thought.” “Well I better stop the bleeding, where’s my medical pouch?”
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Marvels of the Universe
I’ve always considered myself a fan of the Marvel Comic book universe. It’s not that I didn’t like the DC Comic book universe, I just always preferred Marvel. As I like to think long, hard, deeply about things that have no real importance in life, I pondered if it was still true that I preferred Marvel over DC today and why.
My initial Marvel Universe is better notion came from the contention that Marvel characters were more complicated and interesting than the DC counterparts. There was the whole notion of the anti-hero; you know the good guy that is sort of bad. A variation on that theme was the good guy with a shady past. You had the Punisher, Wolverine, Ghost Rider; heck even the Silver Surfer fit this class of hero. These guys, and some gals, were complicated; things were never simple for them. On the DC side you had Superman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern. The closest thing you had to a complicated anti-hero was Batman. Even then his shady past wasn’t so shady. And while the Bat was a vigilantly he always maintained his role as an augmentation to the system of justice already in place.
My premise I think is flawed, or incomplete. After further evaluation I think that it is the world of Marvel that is complicated and the characters simple, while the world of DC is simple and the characters complicated. Say what? Let’s take a look at the respective flagship characters from each universe, Spiderman, and Superman. What is Superman’s conflict; Kryptonite right? Wrong, Superman’s true conflict is the temptation of power. In every alternate universe for Sup he is a tyrant. His true test isn’t how he can overcome such and such problem, but how much should he help such and such. It becomes easy for anyone to always have things done their way when given the power to have it done that way. It is this constant struggle between how much should Superman help vs. advancing the good that he can do that makes Superman interesting. No matter how much the world changes ultimately he is always left with that temptation/choice. So what is Spidy’s deal? When you think about it Spiderman’s interest is in his problems not his powers. For instance will Peter ever get with Mary Jane or will he opt out and go for Felicity. Sure Spiderman has a bit of power but that isn’t what makes him so cool. Spiderman is cool because he has trouble talking to girls, everyone either hates or loves him, and he decided to damask himself because of the Super Hero registration act. In Civil War it is the conflict between the heroes that choose to damask themselves and the ones that don’t that makes me have any interest in the characters. By and large the conflicts of Spiderman are generated by the world that he is in, not because of who he is.
Another great example would be the X-men. If people would just get over their problems with mutants most of the interest in the X-men would evaporate. Now DC had made attempts to capitalize on these kinds of dilemmas with the problems in recent (relatively speaking) Justice League stories. I do have to admit the conflict between the JL and the Justice Lords was great. However it did sort of hinge on the whole Superman power thing I already mentioned. And face it whatever Superman wants goes in whatever league he is in. Well unless he is in my Starcraft/Halo/GhostRecon League, then he’s just a newb that needs to know his place.
So what conclusions have I drawn from all these new thoughts? If you’re asking that question you don’t know me very well or haven’t read my blog, but all six of you should know the reward is not the answer but trying to generate one.
My initial Marvel Universe is better notion came from the contention that Marvel characters were more complicated and interesting than the DC counterparts. There was the whole notion of the anti-hero; you know the good guy that is sort of bad. A variation on that theme was the good guy with a shady past. You had the Punisher, Wolverine, Ghost Rider; heck even the Silver Surfer fit this class of hero. These guys, and some gals, were complicated; things were never simple for them. On the DC side you had Superman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern. The closest thing you had to a complicated anti-hero was Batman. Even then his shady past wasn’t so shady. And while the Bat was a vigilantly he always maintained his role as an augmentation to the system of justice already in place.
My premise I think is flawed, or incomplete. After further evaluation I think that it is the world of Marvel that is complicated and the characters simple, while the world of DC is simple and the characters complicated. Say what? Let’s take a look at the respective flagship characters from each universe, Spiderman, and Superman. What is Superman’s conflict; Kryptonite right? Wrong, Superman’s true conflict is the temptation of power. In every alternate universe for Sup he is a tyrant. His true test isn’t how he can overcome such and such problem, but how much should he help such and such. It becomes easy for anyone to always have things done their way when given the power to have it done that way. It is this constant struggle between how much should Superman help vs. advancing the good that he can do that makes Superman interesting. No matter how much the world changes ultimately he is always left with that temptation/choice. So what is Spidy’s deal? When you think about it Spiderman’s interest is in his problems not his powers. For instance will Peter ever get with Mary Jane or will he opt out and go for Felicity. Sure Spiderman has a bit of power but that isn’t what makes him so cool. Spiderman is cool because he has trouble talking to girls, everyone either hates or loves him, and he decided to damask himself because of the Super Hero registration act. In Civil War it is the conflict between the heroes that choose to damask themselves and the ones that don’t that makes me have any interest in the characters. By and large the conflicts of Spiderman are generated by the world that he is in, not because of who he is.
Another great example would be the X-men. If people would just get over their problems with mutants most of the interest in the X-men would evaporate. Now DC had made attempts to capitalize on these kinds of dilemmas with the problems in recent (relatively speaking) Justice League stories. I do have to admit the conflict between the JL and the Justice Lords was great. However it did sort of hinge on the whole Superman power thing I already mentioned. And face it whatever Superman wants goes in whatever league he is in. Well unless he is in my Starcraft/Halo/GhostRecon League, then he’s just a newb that needs to know his place.
So what conclusions have I drawn from all these new thoughts? If you’re asking that question you don’t know me very well or haven’t read my blog, but all six of you should know the reward is not the answer but trying to generate one.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Self Awarness
Fear is a part of life. I don't care who you are you have to deal with fear. Even the bravest of people are afraid every day. I get tired of the "No Fear" attitude. I don't know what it is about risking oneself for pleasure that makes you brave. I'll tell you what real fear is; being afraid you'll let your friends down because of a weakness you have. That kind of fear can move people to do things that will kill them. Fear is when you have to deal with something in everyday life and you know it can destroy you. The great thing is all of us are brave. If you think you aren't you just haven't looked for it yet.
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Situational Tests
I'm a big fan of Godzilla. Nothing says enjoyment to me like the Thunder Lizard. He is just cool. Godzilla can knock down buildings with his tail. He as radioactive fire breath. He has defeated countless other monsters and I don't care what you say Godzilla owns Mothera. Godzilla is always a mixed blessing though. On one had if MechaGodzilla is rolling down on you or, just as dangerous, the Monster from planet X; Godzilla is almost all upside. If Godzilla doesn't stop these guys you are toast. However if it's just a 500 ft ape rolling around Tokyo then you have to wonder if Godzilla was really worth it. The big guy has a price. (for how much I love Godzilla I have yet to see Godzilla Wars, yeah a crime)
I'm an introspective person, or so I would like to think. I'm also the worlds biggest day dreamer. I'm talking Calvin has nothing on me. So I like to day dream about things that make me think about myself and the situations I'm in. One reoccurring day dream is the instant insertion of Godzilla in the situation that you are in. In order for you to get the full benefit of the day dream you have to think how you would feel about Godzilla all of a sudden showing up and why. For instance if you are on a really bad date and Godzilla were to show up near by you might think geez all the destruction and panic sucks but I'm sure glad I'm off of this date. Or how about being stuck in traffic, you know you hate traffic, but would adding Godzilla make it a less boring, painful, and generally sucky part of your day? So if you see me being distant and staring off into the distance, I'm probably thinking about Godzilla. . . or zombies. What?
You see I am fascinated by zombies. I don't love zombies but I find them very interesting. (To be distinguished from Godzilla, I would almost never want Godzilla to be annihilated, while I can think of many where I'd get rid of a zombie.) Now there are many genre of zombies: you have the slow but huge numbers zombie, zombies by magic, zombies by science, fast zombies, zombies under the control of a master mind, etc. Needless to say zombies almost always require a social changing apocalyptic setting. I often think how would I handle a zombie infestation of such and such genre. You can apply the same test for zombies as you can Godzilla. Happy day dreaming.
Side note: zombies should not be confused with other members of the undead. While zombies are members of the "undead" they are not the same as say skeletons, ghouls, and other zombie like creatures.
I'm an introspective person, or so I would like to think. I'm also the worlds biggest day dreamer. I'm talking Calvin has nothing on me. So I like to day dream about things that make me think about myself and the situations I'm in. One reoccurring day dream is the instant insertion of Godzilla in the situation that you are in. In order for you to get the full benefit of the day dream you have to think how you would feel about Godzilla all of a sudden showing up and why. For instance if you are on a really bad date and Godzilla were to show up near by you might think geez all the destruction and panic sucks but I'm sure glad I'm off of this date. Or how about being stuck in traffic, you know you hate traffic, but would adding Godzilla make it a less boring, painful, and generally sucky part of your day? So if you see me being distant and staring off into the distance, I'm probably thinking about Godzilla. . . or zombies. What?
You see I am fascinated by zombies. I don't love zombies but I find them very interesting. (To be distinguished from Godzilla, I would almost never want Godzilla to be annihilated, while I can think of many where I'd get rid of a zombie.) Now there are many genre of zombies: you have the slow but huge numbers zombie, zombies by magic, zombies by science, fast zombies, zombies under the control of a master mind, etc. Needless to say zombies almost always require a social changing apocalyptic setting. I often think how would I handle a zombie infestation of such and such genre. You can apply the same test for zombies as you can Godzilla. Happy day dreaming.
Side note: zombies should not be confused with other members of the undead. While zombies are members of the "undead" they are not the same as say skeletons, ghouls, and other zombie like creatures.
Monday, March 12, 2007
Twisted Fantasies
In the middle east and I'm sure everywhere else in the world there is this amazing peach soda. It comes in about an 8 oz bottle. It's the perfect size for sippin. They come in 6 packs. They have the perfect amount of fizzle mixed with peach sweetness. For someone who doesn't drink spirited beverages I imagine this is the closest thing you could get to a pink champagne. Lately I've been day dreaming about sitting at the edge of Crater Lake (I've never been there adding to the fantasy). There is a steep drop off so I can let my feet dangle in the water. It is about 84 degrees out. I lean back on a rock perfectly positioned to support my back. I can feel the cold water flowing between my toes. I begin sipping the peach soda. This takes about 4 hours or so. Then gently I fall asleep.
I wake up because there is a warm gentle sensation on my feet instead of the cool waters of Crater Lake. Low and behold I'm in a hammock. What is that at my feet but it is wolf, licking my feet. If you have ever heard the audio tapes of the "Little Prince" just go to the episode where the Prince tries to tame a Fox. When you go there you now know the voice of the wolf when it begins to talk to me. It can tell that I'm quit alarmed at my sudden change of environment. The wolf puts me at ease and explains I'm at Canoe Lake in MN. (Canoe Lake National Park has the largest wolf population in the United States.). The wolf who's name is Buck points me to a camp fire where there is a skillet with hash browns on it. You know the sort of soft kind, not the patty kind you get at McDee's (though they are delicious anyways). As I eat my hash browns Buck explains I was brought here because Thomas Jefferson wanted to have a talk with me. I'm like TJ? Isn't he dead? Buck explains that there is a statue of TJ near by that can channel the spirit of Thomas Jefferson. (I know what you all are thinking if this is my day dream why don't I just meet TJ face to face? The answer I just wanted it this way.)
After eating my wonderful breakfast I go to the TJ statue. It stands about three feet high. It doesn't move at all. Then all of a sudden a voice comes out from it. It explains that it is the spirit of Thomas Jefferson. Oddly enough TJ sounds a lot like George Clinton. There we have a long talk about the impacts of the Louisiana Purchase on this nation. After learning a lot about the difficult decision TJ had to make regarding the LA purchase I make my way back to Crater Lake via a transporter device given to me by Spock.
I wake up because there is a warm gentle sensation on my feet instead of the cool waters of Crater Lake. Low and behold I'm in a hammock. What is that at my feet but it is wolf, licking my feet. If you have ever heard the audio tapes of the "Little Prince" just go to the episode where the Prince tries to tame a Fox. When you go there you now know the voice of the wolf when it begins to talk to me. It can tell that I'm quit alarmed at my sudden change of environment. The wolf puts me at ease and explains I'm at Canoe Lake in MN. (Canoe Lake National Park has the largest wolf population in the United States.). The wolf who's name is Buck points me to a camp fire where there is a skillet with hash browns on it. You know the sort of soft kind, not the patty kind you get at McDee's (though they are delicious anyways). As I eat my hash browns Buck explains I was brought here because Thomas Jefferson wanted to have a talk with me. I'm like TJ? Isn't he dead? Buck explains that there is a statue of TJ near by that can channel the spirit of Thomas Jefferson. (I know what you all are thinking if this is my day dream why don't I just meet TJ face to face? The answer I just wanted it this way.)
After eating my wonderful breakfast I go to the TJ statue. It stands about three feet high. It doesn't move at all. Then all of a sudden a voice comes out from it. It explains that it is the spirit of Thomas Jefferson. Oddly enough TJ sounds a lot like George Clinton. There we have a long talk about the impacts of the Louisiana Purchase on this nation. After learning a lot about the difficult decision TJ had to make regarding the LA purchase I make my way back to Crater Lake via a transporter device given to me by Spock.
Thursday, March 08, 2007
You are so mature, unlucky you.
You know I find that kids in general give me a lot of faith in good old humanity. There has been a lot of talk among my circle of friends about how different we are. When you look at kids though you see that we have a lot of things in common. Here are some things I've notice:
If you set a kid in any given area for a period of time longer than five minutes they like to throw rocks.
Kids are insanely curious.
No matter what language or culture, when a kid doesn't get what they want, they let out the universal phrase, "awh" usually followed by some other word (in English it is usually man or dad or mom).
Kids can spot a week parent/adult a mile away (weak as in a push over).
Kids in general think it is cool when school is canceled even when it is a bomb threat.
Kids think cows are cool.
There are plenty more but those are the ones I've seen recently. You know Jesus said that (I paraphrase here) that you must be like a child to be a follower of him. When did growing up become so great? Joseph and Mary left childhood Jesus behind and had to go back to get him. Sometimes we forget things and have to return to get our childhood. (Yes I basically stole this idea from a MLK speech so sue me.)
If you set a kid in any given area for a period of time longer than five minutes they like to throw rocks.
Kids are insanely curious.
No matter what language or culture, when a kid doesn't get what they want, they let out the universal phrase, "awh" usually followed by some other word (in English it is usually man or dad or mom).
Kids can spot a week parent/adult a mile away (weak as in a push over).
Kids in general think it is cool when school is canceled even when it is a bomb threat.
Kids think cows are cool.
There are plenty more but those are the ones I've seen recently. You know Jesus said that (I paraphrase here) that you must be like a child to be a follower of him. When did growing up become so great? Joseph and Mary left childhood Jesus behind and had to go back to get him. Sometimes we forget things and have to return to get our childhood. (Yes I basically stole this idea from a MLK speech so sue me.)
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