English 104: Finals Edition

Here we have the final of the final papers, for my English class. This essay is an one thousand word minimum, compare and contrast essay, comparing and contrasting the various literary elements of Flannery O'Connor's "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" and "Good Country People". Both are excellent by the way and I highly recommend them.
Having already explained the requirements of the essay I now give you: The Essay

Nothingness and Redemption

Flannery O’Connor created two great works of art with the publishing of “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” and “Good Country People”. And within these two works of art she has a similar theme of the Salvation, or Redemption, of the protagonist in response to the evils committed by villains who have no belief. To present this theme she uses some similar elements of the two stories and some very different. Exploring the characters, conflicts and symbolism of the two stories this paper hopes to reveal perhaps some new level of understanding towards these two stellar works of literature.

On the surface the protagonists of the two stories, Hulga and the Grandmother don’t seem like very similar people, one is a Grandmother, a lady, as she calls herself, who looks back fondly (almost too fondly) on days gone when people were nicer and a good man was easier to find. On the other hand Hulga is rude, has a Doctorate in Philosophy, and loves the idea of nothing. There is not much similar in these two descriptions but they have a similarity not mentioned: Both characters are shallower than they believe. For all of her university training Hulga is not a true believer in nothing. She just knows words to say. This is shown by her shock in Manly’s change of behavior, from a simpleton and Bible salesman to someone who declares about the truth he sells, “I hope you don’t think I believe that crap! I may sell Bibles but I know which end is up and I wasn’t born yesterday and I know where I’m going!” leaving Hulga alone, “sitting on the straw in the dusty sunlight.” (O’Connor 1030). Similarly the Grandmother would like to think of herself as a good person, but it takes her encounter with The Misfit to really make her a good person. All throughout her encounter with The Misfit she begs and pleads not for the life of her family but for The Misfit to spare her life. Near the end of her life she cries, “You’ve got good blood! I know you wouldn’t shoot a lady! I’ll give you all the money I’ve got!” (O’Connor 1041). A key point of difference between these two characters is that the Grandmother’s transformation is described while the changes in Hulga’s life can only be assumed. But it is a sure thing that her life has to change after her experience in the barn with Manly.

The Misfit and Manly both act as catalysts for change in the lives of the protagonists but they have a key difference: Manly is not searching for anything except a good time. He is a firm believer in nothing. The Misfit on the other hand looks at his life and says, “It’s no real pleasure in life.” (O’Connor 1041). As for question of Jesus The Misfit seems to believe he exists but can’t decide if he did what the Bible says he did. This indecision even causes him great distress. As he says, “Jesus was the only one that ever raised the dead…and he shouldn’t have done it. He thrown everything off balance. If He did what he said, then it’s nothing for you to do but thow away everything and follow Him, and if He didn’t, then it’s nothing you can do but to enjoy the few minutes you got left the best you can by killing somebody or burning down his house or doing some other meanness to him. No pleasure but meanness.” (O’Connor 1041). But he can’t even enjoy his meanness no matter how many people he kills. Manly on the other hand cares not for Jesus in any way nor is he looking for a way to justify what he does. He may be a Bible salesman but he sure doesn’t believe what in what he sells.

Before a villain is ever encountered, conflicts arises between the protagonists of the stories and their families. Both Hulga and the Grandmother rub against their families like sandpaper, Hulga because of her ugly attitude and the Grandmother because of her constant griping, wishing for the good days. Both of these earlier conflicts could be described as the things that the protagonists need to be saved from. On a deeper level though, "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" and "Good Country People" share another conflict: both of their female protagonists come face to face with villains and the nothingness they believe in. In “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” the poor mixed up Grandmother’s encounter with The Misfit destroys her but in the end also brings her to repentance: “[The Misfit’s] voice seemed about to crack and the grandmother’s head cleared for an instant. She saw the man’s face twisted close to her own as if he were going to cry and she murmured, ‘Why you’re one of my babies. You’re one of my own children!’ She reached out and touched him on the shoulder.” (O’Connor 1041). She is immediately killed after this action but the change in her is clear. In “Good Country People” the conflict doesn’t lead to as dramatic of a change but Hulga’s encounter with Manly Pointer does change her. It changes her by Manly razing Hulga’s lofty intellectual ideas of nothing and showing what believing in nothing really looks like; he does this by being himself. In the end he declares to Hulga as he is leaving her stranded in the barn, “‘And I’ll tell you another thing Hulga,' he said, using the name as if he didn't think much of it, 'you ain’t so smart. I been believing in nothing ever since I was born!’” (O’Connor 1030).

The symbolism of these two encounters is very interesting especially considering Flannery O’Connor’s firm belief in God which cannot be excluded when analyzing her stories. It is intriguing when looking at the antagonists of the two stories, Manly Pointer and The Misfit, that in a very strange way despite their despicable ways, they act as saviors for the protagonists. In the case of Manly Pointer, he might believe in nothing, but he also removes Hulga’s ability to stand on her own faulty beliefs in nothing. As she says to Manly before he shows his true self, “We are all damned…But some of us have taken off our blindfolds and see that there is nothing to see. It’s a kind of salvation.” (O’Connor 1028). But it is only when Manly symbolically pulls off her blindfold by taking away her leg, and showing her real nothing that she can move on to a true salvation. The Misfit also serves as a Messiah for the Grandmother. The Misfit does this by forcing the Grandmother in the end to come to a place where she can see the world unselfishly and reach out in love. Also in the action it is possible that the saved might also be the savior. For it is only after the Grandmother calls him her own that he sees that, “It’s no real pleasure in life.” (O’Connor 1041). After being touched by someone who truly loved him, even if it was for just a moment, he can now never be the same. There is a symbol not dealing with salvation that is exclusive to “Good Country People” and that is Hulga’s false leg. Her leg might literally be her means of getting around after the accident that took away the real limb, but deeper than that, it is her crutch, something she can stabilize her life around. O’Connor describes Hulga’s attitude towards her leg as, “[S]he was as sensitive about the artificial leg as a peacock about his tail. No one ever touched it but her. She took care of it as someone else would his soul, in private and almost with her own eyes turned away.” (O’Connor 1028). Her leg was her stability and before her experience with Manly she was stable, stable in her intellectual superiority and her firm belief in nothing. She even smugly tells Manly, when he asks if she is saved, “In my economy…I’m saved and you are damned but I told you I didn’t believe in God.” (O’Connor 1026). But when Manly takes away her leg she shows that it was all a weak belief because she might say she believes in nothing but she expects others to behave like they say they do (Therefore a belief in something). Such as when Manly shows his true character she says angrily to him, “You’re a Christian! … You’re a fine Christian! You’re just like them all - say one thing and do another. You’re a perfect Christian, You’re…” (O’Connor 1029). It is in this encounter that Hulga finds out that to truly believe in nothing it will take away everything she holds dear.

“A Good Man Is Hard to Find” and “Good Country People” share similarities but they are not interchangeable. “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” focuses on the redemption of its leads, where “Good Country People” is more about the destructiveness of disbelief and the start towards redemption. But even with these differences “Good Country People” and “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” both serve as excellent parables of redemption and the emptiness of life that comes with a belief in nothing.

Works Cited

O’Connor, Flannery. “Good Country People.” The Story and Its Writer: An Introduction to Short Fiction. 7^th ed. Ed. Ann Charters. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2007. 1016-1030.

O’Connor, Flannery. “A Good Man Is Hard to Find.” The Story and Its Writer: An Introduction to Short Fiction. 7^th ed. Ed. Ann Charters. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2007. 1030- 1041.

History 101: Finals Edition

For this class I was supposed to write a book review on any book off of the pre-approved book list or find my own acceptable one. I chose the book list. On it I found a book called The Crusades Through Arab Eyes. It looked interesting so I chose it. Having the whole term to read the book and do the report I naturally waited until the last three or so weeks to really get going on the project. But I did manage to get it done in time and turned it in right before doing the final. The only qualifications were that it should be from about three to five pages and that I review the book and not just recap it.
Here it is.

The Crusades Through Arab Eyes: Life from the Other Side

In The Crusades Through Arab Eyes the author Amin Mallouf presents a history of the crusades from the time of the Frankish invasion of Palestine in the year 1096 on through to the end of Frankish occupation in the year 1291. Throughout this history Maalouf sets out to, in his own words, “To tell the story of the Crusades as they were seen, lived, and recorded on ‘the other side’ - in other words, in the Arab camp.” (xi). Maalouf carries out his task in a very compelling way. Maalouf’s narrative moves along nicely from event to event in the two hundred years of war with the Franks. His forward is brief and to the point, describing what he wishes to do with the book and sets up the main emphasis of the epilogue. In this forward he describes his philosophy, “Rather than offer yet another history book, I have sought to write, from a hitherto neglected point of view, what might be called the ‘true-life-novel’ of the Crusades, of those two centuries of turmoil that shaped the West and the Arab world alike, and that affect relations between them even today.” (Maalouf xi). And he does present the history more as a novel than a textbook although he does not forsake academic integrity, as seen when one of his sources gave the death toll of an Arab city in the hundreds of thousands, Maalouf interjects with, “Ibn al-Athir’s figures are obviously fantastic, for the city’s population at the time of its fall was probably less than ten thousand.” (Maalouf 39). Which brings up a very important part of the book: Maalouf consistently cites the accounts of Arab scholars or historians from the time of the Crusades. By doing this Maalouf gives the narrative an authentic tone and also by giving the reactions he presents some of the culture of the Arabs at the time. Within the text there are no footnotes, although at the end he goes chapter by chapter giving notes and sources for each chapter, if he uses an Arabic word he defines it within the narrative. Maalouf does not insert maps during the story but rather has one map at the very beginning of the book giving the political map of the Middle-East in the time of the Crusades and one at the end presenting the current political map of the Middle-East. Within the main body of the text, the background he gives on certain events is very interesting. Such as when to adequately describe one of the instances of the infighting that went on in the Arab camp he goes into the back story of the Assassins sect, the radical cult of devoted killers.

As his story begins, Maalouf opens with a prologue that is set three years after the start of the Crusades. And in this prologue he presents a kind of overview of much of what happens throughout the book. He presents the cries of the faithful of Islam, hoping for those in power to unleash justice on their invaders, and their disappointment when those leaders turn a deaf ear to their plea. Perhaps most importantly he introduces one of his many contemporary sources. For it is after he does this that he proceeds to go back three years to where it all began.

As chapter one begins Maalouf opens with a quote by the chronicler from the prologue. In this quote Maalouf foreshadows much of the first chapters, namely the trickle of terror that starts to run through the land of the Arabs as the Crusaders enter their territory. From that point on he moves sequentially through the entire occupation of the Holy Land by the Crusaders. The perspective he gives for the Crusades is very interesting partly because of the sources he uses and how he presents them. For instead of taking in all of his research and paraphrasing it all, he instead lets the people of the times speak for themselves much of the time. This does not mean that he does not have his own words for what is going on throughout the book but he will first let the witnesses of the events speak for themselves, then he will go about interpreting the information given. This way of presenting his information is very satisfying and vital for his main objective of giving the perspective of, “The other side” (Maalouf xi).

While he is not hesitant to show the faults of the Crusading armies (and there were many to be sure) he also is willing to bring into the light the flaws of the Middle-Eastern armies, such as the wars of succession that followed the death of nearly every leader mentioned throughout the book. Maalouf does have a sort of bias in favor of the Arabs throughout the account though, but it is not without reason. It is very difficult to not feel sympathy for the invaded peoples for they were so advanced in almost every way over the Crusaders, only to be invaded by an army brutal enough to, in one instance Maalouf cites, describing the Crusaders, the self proclaimed ‘defenders of Christendom, fighting even with the “Christian” empire of Byzantium, “All the Rum [Byzantines] were killed or despoiled… some of their notables, pursued by the Franj, attempted to seek refuge in the great church they call Sophia. A group of priests and monks came out … begging the attackers to spare their lives, but the Franj paid no heed to their entreaties. They massacred them all and plundered the church.” Maalouf (221, 222). It is these instances when his bias can seem very justifiable.

In conclusion, the book is well written though sometimes I would get lost for a couple pages, not clearly seeing what was going on in the narrative. This usually came about due to the many different names presented to me that with which I was not familiar. So the fault is not really the authors. Aside from this though, his book is an insightful look on events that should be taken into account even today when considering the affairs of the Middle-East. He even mentions this in his epilogue, in which he spends much of its time talking about the effects the Crusades had on both East and West and the differences between the two societies. He ends the epilogue with the dramatic phrase, “And there can be no doubt that the schism between these two worlds dates from the Crusades, deeply felt by the Arabs, even today, as an act of rape.” (Maalouf 266). And that is one of history’s purposes as a science is it not? To better understand the events of today through the lens of the past.

Works Cited

Maalouf, Amin. The Crusades through Arab Eyes. New York: Schocken Books, 1984

Writing 121: Finals Edition

So here we have it. The first of my three final papers that I had to turn in. I was going to edit it according to my teachers suggestions but I haven't. It was positive overall so an edit wouldn't do too much, just help the readability and flow a little more.
This paper is a research paper that was supposed to deal with identity and force or in other words, humans and conflict. Regardless I chose to do my paper, after much conflict and mind changing, on the country of Slovakia and the effects that communism had on it. The length requirement was five pages and it was supposed to draw on at least three academic articles and two full length texts. You would not belive how few articles there are on the effects of communism on Slovakia or even eastern Europe in general. Nonetheless I finished it at five a.m. on the morning it was due and turned it in at ten a.m.
So without further ado I present to you my essay.

Slovakia & Communism

In 1939 Slovakia was a peaceful, pristine country composed of approximately 50% agrarian economy. By 1993 Slovakia was a country full of factories high-rise apartments, densely packed cities and an economy centered on industry. What happened in the intervening 54 years that brought such dramatic change to this small central European nation? It is my intent to show in this paper that the changes in Slovakia were a direct result of the communist regime. In this paper I will use periodicals, books and journals to present a short history of Slovakia, a brief description of typical communist practices, in demonstrate the impact communism had on the Slovak nation and people.

If Slovakia’s history could be summed up into one phrase it could very well be the history of a people conquered by those around them. From the early middle-ages through 1918 Slovakia was ruled by the Magyar (or Hungarian) empire, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

A truly Slovak history begins with the formation of the Greater Moravian Empire during the year 833. In his book, A History of Slovakia: The Struggle for Survival, Stanislav Kirschbaum describes Moravia’s short but violent history this way, “In oral Slovak tradition, its existence takes precedence over its short history; expressed in another way, this means that the Slovaks remember that they had a state in the ninth century but they hardly know its history” (Kirschbaum 26). The Empire of Great Moravia lasted for only seventy-four years but was able to give Slovakia a start point for a formal history and the formation of a national identity. The end of the Moravian empire in 907 came about at the hands of the Magyars and Kirschbaum points out that, “The history of the Slovaks after the fall of Great Moravia became interlocked until the twentieth century in the history of the Hungarian state.” (Kirschbaum 38). Tied to the history of Hungary for over a thousand years Slovakia was still able to develop its own language and culture. During this time the Magyars fell to the Austrian Empire which eventually made way for the combined monarchy of Austro-Hungary. After the end of World War I in 1918 the Allied powers divided the territory of the defeated powers and one of those powers was the Austro-Hungarian Empire which was the current ruler of Slovakia. The fallen empire was divided into several smaller states according to the treaty of Versailles and one of those states was the country of Czechoslovakia: a country made up of what is now the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Within Czechoslovakia the Slovak portion was given the short end of the stick. The policies of the government heavily favored the Czech role in the country. Necessary improvements were made in Slovakia and it was brought further along in modernization but in comparison to the state funds spent on Czech lands it is plain to see that there was a certain amount of favoritism on the Czech part. As Europe was tensing during Hitler’s pre war years Czechoslovakia was not forgotten. A primarily German region of Czechoslovakia called Sudentenland was annexed by Nazi Germany. Fearing that the state, not able even to protect itself, would not be able to protect Slovak interests, Slovakia seceded from Czechoslovakia. (Kirschbaum 180) Slovakia’s independence that started in 1939 was brief and illusionary for it was really no more than a puppet state of the Third Reich. As H. L. Agnew puts it, “Slovak independence, declared on 14 March 1939, was probably accepted if not welcomed by the great majority of Slovaks. … Nevertheless, the achievement of independent statehood for Slovakia came with strings attached: the course of the war ran against Hitler, [and] German relations with the new Slovakia amounted to a form of protectorate…” (Agnew 628, 627). In 1945 the war ended and Slovakia was reinstated into Czechoslovakia. Czechoslovakia after the war enjoyed democracy for only a brief time for in 1948 the country of Czechoslovakia was taken over from within by the Communist party of Czechoslovakia that instituted a Stalinist type regime. The communist takeover was nothing less than a coup; though some of the socialist leaders were elected into power democratically those elected quickly took control over the rest of the government and instituted a Stalinesque communist state. Under the communist regime every aspect of the life of a Slovak was altered social, economic, political, religious and national.

The social aspect of life in Slovakia was changed by the centralization of people, pulling them off of farms and putting them to work in the city. Those that remained on the farms were required to join large, state owned, collective farms (although not everybody did so). Apart from this there was also censorship of the press and the arts. All forms of media had to fit with the communist ideal or else they were not allowed. In a series of interviews with Czechs who lived during communism Megan Stride posed the question of journalistic integrity in the face of censorship, here is part of the answer: “Even the "best" newspapers and magazines were propagandistic, [Tomas] Nemecek says. “As a profession, journalism was seen as generally discredited and unfavorable." (Stride 34). Propaganda didn’t just come from news sources it also came from the many sculptures erected in praise of communist leaders such as Lenin or Stalin. Schools were also taken over and changed. All textbooks were modified to fit with the socialist world view every subject from history to science was used as another form of propaganda. Human rights were also neglected; the rights of the individual were placed second to the greater good of the collective. Slovakia and the Slovaks points out the capriciousness of the system, “Many were imprisoned simply because they had alienated someone in power.” (Slovakia and the Slovaks 578).

Also there were some major overhauls of the economy of Slovakia. Up to 1948 Slovakia had been involved in industry but after the communist takeover the regime threw everything it had into making industry the cornerstone of the Slovak economy. Slovak heavy industry boomed. Slovakia and the Slovaks reports that, “Between 1948 and 1989 industrial production increased by 3,251%. In 1963 Slovak industry produced more than that of the whole of Czecho-Slovakia in 1937.” (Slovakia and the Slovaks 578). The statistics do not present the whole situation of the economy of Slovakia and how communism affected it. Factories employed more workers than necessary, wages were low, and even common household necessities were not always available.

The government of Czechoslovakia was run independently of the Kremlin, holding single party elections for the national parliament. But the Kremlin held enormous sway over the goings on of Czechoslovakia, as seen in the Prague Spring of 1968. The Prague Spring was a series of reforms led by the Communist party leader (the highest power in the Czechoslovak government) Alexander Dubcek. These reforms were an attempt to create "Socialism with a human face". Some of the reforms instated by Dubcek were, in the words of John C. McGinn: “Censorship and other restrictions on freedom of the press were allowed to lapse. Political figures sentenced during the show trials in the 1950s were rehabilitated” (McGinn 114). The reforms according to the encyclopedia, Slovakia and the Slovaks, were, “…unparalleled in the history of socialist countries until that time” (578). The reforms were also soundly halted. Fearing that Czechoslovakia was becoming too liberal the Soviet Union and several other Warsaw Pact countries invaded Czechoslovakia, put an end to the reforms, and removed Dubcek from power. The Soviet military would not leave Czechoslovakia until 1990. Before the invasion though, Dubcek put in motion a bill to federalize Czechoslovakia that was realized on January 1^st 1969. Federalization was supposed to allow for greater autonomy of the Slovak nation but in actuality the normalization government put in place by the Soviets after they removed Dubcek nullified much of the power granted to Slovakia in the bill.

In Slovakia dissension towards the communist government was neither very organized nor vocal for the greater part of the time the communists were in power. Protests were usually conducted on the private level: Refusal to join a collective farm, minor sabotage of state equipment and occasional strikes. Overall protest took a more gentle form: That of showing religious devotion in the face of a fiercely atheistic government. Why would religion play a role in protesting the regime?

There was a great amount of religious persecution perpetrated by the regime in the predominantly Roman Catholic Slovakia. Religion was seen as an enemy of the regime and therefore was not tolerated by the ruling government. During its most oppressive phase, the early 1950s, the government, took the liberty of shutting down monasteries, convents and other religious organizations. It also proceeded to imprison priests and even denied children of the imprisoned access to a secondary education. Even when the outright persecution slowed considerably in 1953, oppressive laws were placed on churches restricting what could be done within the church walls and there was an outright ban on religious activities outside of church buildings. Despite these measures, the church continued to carry out its programs, albeit in secret. Not all churches were so rebellious though. The government did allow churches to operate if the church and its priest were registered with the government, which in essence meant that said church would have to toe the communist party line and the priest would be in the employ of the government.

The church in Slovakia however, would never be silenced and would later play a key role in the final deconstruction of the communist government. As Kirschbaum writes, “Historically a religious people, the Slovaks turned to the practice of their faith as a way of showing their opposition.” (Kirschbaum 248). During the late seventies and all throughout the eighties unrest and dissension was becoming more and more commonplace, and the church, particularly the Roman Catholic majority, had its own unique way of making itself heard. As opposed to the Czech protests that took its most dramatic form in the human rights plea Charter 77, Slovaks instead protested by participating in mass pilgrimages to holy shrines within Slovakia. The two largest of these pilgrimages took place in the towns of Levoca and Sastin, bringing together an estimated combined total of 200,000 people. Another significant demonstration was the Candlelight Demonstration of 1988 in the capital of Bratislava. About 2,000 people participated in the peaceful demonstration that was put down savagely by the regime. As outrage concerning this and other human rights infringements grew throughout the country, demonstrations become more and more commonplace culminating in the month of November 1989. Starting on the 17^th of November protests were carried out in all of the main squares and thousands went on strike. These pressures provided the catalyst for the demolition of the Czechoslovak communist government.

In June 1990 Czechoslovakia held its first true elections in forty-two years. Due to disagreements in the subsequent two years on how to handle the federation of the two halves of Czechoslovakia, the national parliament of the two countries decided that the best option was to “divorce” the two countries and on January 1^st 1993 Slovakia officially became an independent country. But what scars or improvements did the communist regime leave behind in the young countries not so distant past? Communism’s scars could be seen in the environment of the country polluted by the industrial boom, a high unemployment rate, a near vacuum of any major cultural achievements, and an economy that needed to be reorganized from the ground up. Did communism have any positive effects on the nation or the people of Slovakia? It helped to modernize the country, but that process had already been started before the coup happened. This country full of mountains and high-rises has forever been changed by the totalitarian communist regime that once ruled it only a short time ago.

Works Cited

Agnew, Hugh Lecaine. "NEW STATES, OLD IDENTITIES? THE CZECH REPUBLIC, SLOVAKIA, AND HISTORICAL UNDERSTANDINGS OF STATEHOOD." Nationalities Papers 28.4 (Dec. 2000): 619-650. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Portland Community Coll. Lib., Portland, OR. 4 December 2007. <http://0- search.ebscohost.com.library.pcc.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=5440681&si te=ehost-live>.

Encyclopedical Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences. Slovakia and the Slovaks. Bratislava: Goldpress, 1994

Kirschbaum, Stanislav J. A History of Slovakia: the Struggle for Survival. 2^nd ed. New York: Palgrave MacMillan, 2005.

McGinn, John G. "The Politics of Collective Inaction: NATO's Response to the Prague Spring." Journal of Cold War Studies 1.3 (Fall 1999): 111-138. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Portland Community Coll. Lib., Portland, OR. 8 December 2007. <http://0- search.ebscohost.com.library.pcc.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=6934208&si te=ehost-live>.

Stride, Megan. "EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT COMMUNISM, BUT WERE AFRAID TO ASK." New Presence: The Prague Journal of Central European Affairs 9.2 (Summer 2007): 31-35. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Portland Community Coll. Lib., Portland, OR. 10 December 2007. <http://0- search.ebscohost.com.library.pcc.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=25954154&s ite=ehost-live>.

Writing 121: Essay 2

Rather than post the whole essay, I will just put up my favorite part: The epigraph

Lookin’ for to save my, save my soul
Lookin’ in the places where no flowers grow.
Lookin’ for to fill that God shaped hole. . .

To bad I didn't write that part, Bono beat me to it.

English 104: Essay 1

Here is my first English paper; a personal response essay on one of the short stories read for class called "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love". I chose this one over the other options because I actually had a response to this story which I thought would be helpful for a personal response. Once again, enjoy if you feel like it.

What Are We Talking About When We Talk About Love?

In Raymond Carver’s short story “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love” two married couples sit around a coffee table, drink gin, and ponder what love is. The dominant speaker throughout the story is a cardiologist named Mel. Mel wonders if his wife Terri’s first partner Ed actually loved her. Mel also wonders how he could possibly say he loves Terri and yet have felt the same thing with his first wife whom he now deplores. The interactions between him and the other people are interesting because it appeared to me that what they talked about when they talked about love was not love at all.
Ed is the one character that stuck out in my mind, which might seem odd because he actually doesn’t appear except in conversation, but the discussions of his actions towards Terri are so much a part of the story creating some of the only conflict among the characters. Speaking of Ed, Teri recollects that he, “Loved her so much he tried to kill her” (Carver 187). That statement rubbed me the wrong way. I remember thinking about that statement against what I hold as my standard for love found in Christian scriptures. Descriptions such as, “Love is kind…It is not self-seeking…It always protects” (New International Version, 1 Cor. 13. 4,5,7) and, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15. 13). Ed says that he loves Terri but under this lens does he? In my mind he does not. There is passion expressed about their relationship but there is also passion in the most brutal war. I do not think that passion alone means love. What about his other actions? Maybe by what he does he can show that he loves Terri? He is willing to shoot himself because he has some feeling for her but he is laying down his life for his own desires not for another person.
Another piece of the story that stuck out to me is that as it progresses and they continue to talk the couples all end up intoxicated, sitting in the dark. The narrator observes at the end when all of their ideas run out, “…not one of us moving, not even when the room went dark.” (Carver 195). They are trying to find out what love is but all the while they are deadening their senses and reason with gin and falling deeper in the darkness of ignorance. The symbolism of them trying to gain the light of knowledge in the darkness was striking. It made me think that love as I see it should be something that is found in the light not in the dark. I did not want any part of what these people saw as love: I immediately wanted to read about what I think love is. I do not want what these people offer on the subject because they do not seem to know themselves what it was that they actually feel for each other, whether what they feel for each other is a lasting bond between them or just a temporary feeling. I would rather have the love that Mel saw between two of his patients, an older couple recovering from a serious car wreck, he said the husband was feeling depressed but not because of the accident but because “…he couldn’t see his wife through his eye holes…the man’s heart was breaking because he couldn’t turn his go***n head and see his go***n wife” (Carver 194). This description of what love is touches on something real. It is not describing some feeling that wears off and then sinks a marriage; it is a love that is a lasting part of somebody’s life. And that stands out to me from the rest of the story because nobody else in this story has that kind of love.
I do not want it to appear that I know all about this subject, I definitely do not. But from what I do know and believe about love the darkness they are in at the end of the story is can be seen as a picture of their own limitations and shortcomings. The four people talking about a very deep and complex subject do not hold the answers, they just create more questions about what it is they are talking about when they talk about love. But from what I see the answers are not supposed to be found in the story. [Professor's note: What about the old couple?]

Works Cited
Carver, Raymond. “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love.” The Story and Its Writer: An Introduction to Short Fiction. 7th ed. Ed. Ann Charters. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2007. 187-195.
The Holy Bible, New International Version. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002

Writing 121: Essay 1

This is the revision of the first paper I did this year and it was for my Writing 121 class. The book mentioned is Persopolis by Marjane Satrapi and the topic for the essay is: "'The Story of a childhood', in the course of the the story, how dos Marji grow up? Focus on one or two important characteristics of her coming of age: either qualities of her personality or character, or aspects of the outside world."
Enjoy if you feel like it. (But don't enjoy it to the point of theft. That would be very bad.)

A Childhood Left Behind

Persopolis is the story of the author Marjane Satrapi growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution of 1978-1979 and during the war with Iraq from 1980-1988. In the story, Marjane goes from being a nine-year-old girl who wants to be a prophet to a fourteen-year-old that has experienced the pain of loss more dramatically than anyone her age should have to. At the end of the book, Marjane's parents decide that it is time for her to leave Iran and go to school to Austria to get away from the war. In one of the closing scenes of Persopolis, Satrapi depicts her parents, sitting across from her on a couch in their otherwise barren living room in Iran, and Marjane's parents are telling her the idea and she says, "But I'm only fourteen! You trust me?" (147). They reply that they do. Marjane's family, personality and experiences compel her to come to a place of early independence.

When Marjane is ten years old a full scale revolution is under way in Iran, and she sees herself as Che Guevara. In this scene, and all throughout the book, Marjane shows a need to be somebody else. Early on, while she sees herself as a prophet, she wants to be, "justice, love and wrath of God all in one." (9). But by the end, she is just wanting to fit in somewhere, even skipping out on class to hang out with some older girls. In both cases, she shows her imagined maturity by trying to be something she isn't.

Marjane's family is a very modern family, and this influences her view on the radical religious regime. Later on in the story, when she is asked to participate in religious observances, she mocks the self-torture sessions her teachers ask her to perform daily. It is fair to note, though, that the rest of the children mentioned in her school are like this too. She says, "Every situation provided an opportunity for laughs" (97). When facing punishment from the teachers for misbehavior Satrapi states, "We were all united" (97). Her family identifies themselves as socialists. Her parents give her books on socialism, and her father's brother, Uncle Anoosh, whom she adores, has his doctorate in Marxism-Leninism. Because of her family influence, she views the world differently.

Marjane's family believes in the importance of education. Near the end of the book Tehran is being bombed consistently, and Satrapi says, "Now that Tehran was under attack, many fled. The city was deserted. As for us we stayed. Not just out of fatalism. If there was to be any future, in my parents' eyes, that future was linked to my French education. And Tehran was the only place I could get it." (137). The parents' willingness to keep themselves in a dangerous situation for the sake of Marjane's education shows how much value they put on good education. Also, earlier on in the story, Marjane cuts class to hang out with some older girls in her school, and when she is confronted about this by her mom she tries to cover it up by saying it was just a religion class. Her mom is not pleased and, after calling Marjane on her lie, she says, "...Now is the time for learning. You have your whole life to have fun! What are you going to be when you grow up? ..." (113). The mother's behavior shows her belief that education plays a key role in a child's maturing process.

At fourteen, Marjane says she is a rebel. School is a struggle between her and the faculty. But rebellion and growing up are two different things. Marjane shows some very real signs of maturing near the end of the book, when her parents decide that it is time for her to leave the country and go to Austria for school rather than stay in war-torn Iran. The way she handles herself and follows through on the plan is admirable, but at the same time, what it means for her is saddening. For Marjane to leave Iran means not only a change in culture for her, but also leaving behind everything she knows, including family and friends. Before she leaves, Marjane has her friends over to say good-bye, and she says, "I never realized how much they loved me. And I understood how much they meant to me." (149). Also, when she is at the airport saying good-bye to her parents, knowing that she will never live with them again, she says that, "Nothing is worse than saying good-bye. It's a little like dying." (153). In both of these cases we see her maturing greatly during a very short amount of time, and at this point her "Story of a Childhood" ends.

Perhaps that also means, in Satrapi's mind, this is when Marjane's childhood ended, in a line of strangers at Mehrabad airport, her mother collapsed from grief, while Marjane is on the other side of a wall of glass. (153) Throughout Persopolis, Marjane's life goes through many changes, from her knowledge of her prophetic destiny, to her falling in love with punk rock. But throughout all these changes, her family is always a constant, always there. That her parents feel that they can trust Marjane on her own shows that they feel that, with the way she has been brought her up, they believe she will be fine on her own. Like Marjane, I have also left places I love, and I was struck by her depictions of leaving and how true they are. Saying good-bye is a little like dying. But, even so there is hope, because not only is somebody leaving behind what they know by leaving, they are going someplace new, with new experiences to be had. And maybe Marjane will find that, not only is saying good-bye a little like dying, but arriving someplace new is a little like waking up.

Works Cited

Satrapi, Marjane. Persopolis: The Story of a Childhood. 1^st ed. New York: Pantheon, 2004

Now Presenting the Best Thing Since Sliced Bread...

I love my church. The video mentioned at the end, is right here:
Sound Men Dance

Add to My Profile | More Videos

It's All Over

School ended tonight at 7:50 P.M. I am now a free man for four whole weeks. Nice.

Now that this happy occasion has occurred I will begin to post some of my essays up here, because really, who doesn't want to put up their hard earned effort for the whole world to see? So those will be put up soon.

I'm free.

Yay.

Happy Reformation Day Eeryone!

Out of love for the truth and the desire to bring it to light, the following propositions will be discussed at Wittenberg, under the presidency of the Reverend Father Martin Luther, Master of Arts and of Sacred Theology, and Lecturer in Ordinary on the same at that place. Wherefore he requests that those who are unable to be present and debate orally with us, may do so by letter.

In the Name our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

1. Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, when He said Poenitentiam agite, willed that the whole life of believers should be repentance.

2. This word cannot be understood to mean sacramental penance, i.e., confession and satisfaction, which is administered by the priests.

3. Yet it means not inward repentance only; nay, there is no inward repentance which does not outwardly work divers mortifications of the flesh.

4. The penalty [of sin], therefore, continues so long as hatred of self continues; for this is the true inward repentance, and continues until our entrance into the kingdom of heaven.

5. The pope does not intend to remit, and cannot remit any penalties other than those which he has imposed either by his own authority or by that of the Canons.

6. The pope cannot remit any guilt, except by declaring that it has been remitted by God and by assenting to God's remission; though, to be sure, he may grant remission in cases reserved to his judgment. If his right to grant remission in such cases were despised, the guilt would remain entirely unforgiven.

7. God remits guilt to no one whom He does not, at the same time, humble in all things and bring into subjection to His vicar, the priest.

8. The penitential canons are imposed only on the living, and, according to them, nothing should be imposed on the dying.

9. Therefore the Holy Spirit in the pope is kind to us, because in his decrees he always makes exception of the article of death and of necessity.

10. Ignorant and wicked are the doings of those priests who, in the case of the dying, reserve canonical penances for purgatory...

To continue with Luther's theses go here. Or here.

Music News

If in need of good music look no further than Over the Rhine's Trumpet Child. It is wonderful (the title track is stirring) and can be found here.

An outpouring

6While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, 7a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.
8When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. "Why this waste?" they asked. 9"This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor."
10Aware of this, Jesus said to them, "Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 11The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. 12When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. 13I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her. Matt. 26:6-13

The notes on my Bible said that the Greek for "beautiful" in v. 10 has an aesthetic meaning to it not just ethical. That made me think about how some things don't have to be deep and profound but can just be beautiful. But perhaps it can't be beauty for it's own sake but rather must be an outpouring of love for God. Take for example the stars, they are beautiful and Psalms 19 even says that

1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.
3 There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard. [a]
4 Their voice [b] goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,
5 which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.

So are they not beautiful for their own sake but rather are beautiful because they are pouring out the praises of God?

As a side note look how both passages say that the acts are lasting "There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. [a]4 Their voice [b] goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world." or "Wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her."

Thoughts? Gross theological errors?

I Can't Think of a Good Title For This Post so Here is the Post

Thanks to Opus for bringing this piece of art into the open, but Opus found it here first.

Brotherly Love in the Ancient Near East

As for the problems between us, I suggest that the fault may not lie with ourselves but with our messengers; let us bring them to trial, cut off their heads, mutilate their bodies, and live henceforth in perfect friendship.
Excerpt from a letter from king Hattusilis of the Hittites to the King of Ahhiyawa c. 1260 B.C.

Isn't it good to know that is all that it takes to get along?

New stuff from the DOA

Behold! A new video from the Dorks Of America so good it will knock your socks off.

And this is just one in a series of eight films. Now you have something to look forward to in this world.

School

I thought school was supposed to increase your knowledge of things, not make the brain incapable of forming cohesive thoughts and sentences.
I really hope it is just the first couple of weeks that make me feel like this.

Since I've Been Gone (You Can Breathe For The First Time)

Two very talented artists have passed away. (Here and here.)

The locals have been out getting a good rain tan. (Here and here.)

School is becoming more of a reality the closer it gets.

Jeffery Overstreet has released a new book to the world.

I became a paintball master. Or I went for half an hour, I forget.

And since I can't post without one enjoy this video.

Victory

Today, I got to join the problem instead of being part of the solution to the environmental woes of this world:
I now have my driver's license. Also: while pulling out of the DMV after the test I turned wide. Ironic isn't it?

With great power comes great responsibility.

September

I would just like to mention that today is the first day of the best month of the year.

Incoming Good Movie Alert

This next week Pixar's Ratatouille comes out. And if you were a little put off by the plot subject (a rat becoming a chef?) don't be. See, rave reviews here, and here. This naturally means we should all go see it. Of course we would anyway because it is directed by Brad "Incredibles" Bird. And it's a Pixar movie. So go see it.

Farewell Good Friends; For Now

I'm leaving for camp in the morning so unless I am feeling crazy enough to post on the weekends I will be signing out from Blogger until August 28. I'll see you then!

(Camp! Woo-Hoo!)

Questions You Can Only Think Up If You Are A TV Junkie

If you're in a bind who do you call: Jack,
Jack,

Or maybe Jack?
If you can't tell I've been watching more TV than I usually do.

Alphebet You.

A]- ANY FAVORITE MOVIES?: Lord of The Rings, Serenity, Man Without A Past,...
B]- BIRTHDAY: Why yes I do have a birthday. I'm so glad you asked. You can get me presents if you like. I also agree with Foolish Knight's rant: "(By the way, I strongly dislike the dating system used in the United States. Few things about the country of my birth infuriate me more than our month/day/year dating system. Doesn't Europe's day/month/year make so much more sense? Seriously.)"
C] - CRUSHING?: Well I'm sitting on a chair at the moment. So you could say I am crushing the chair.
D] - DRINK YOU LAST HAD: Water.
E] - EASIEST PERSON TO TALK TO: Hm.
F] - FAVORITE MUSIC GROUP: U2; followed closely by The Arcade Fire
G] - GUMMY BEARS OR GUMMY WORMS: Bears all the way.
H]- HOMETOWN: Have you ever asked an MK this question before?
I]- INSTRUMENT(s): Kazoo. (I'm actually pretty good on the kazoo.)
J] - JUICE: Black Currant
K] - KILLED SOMEONE: No. Unless Halo alter egos count. If that is the case then yes.
L] - LONGEST CAR RIDE: Oregon to Georgia via Canada (Look at a map to see how absurd that statement is.)
M] - MIXED FEELINGS ON: Patriotism
N] - NUMBER OF SIBLINGS: Three
O] - ONE WISH: To find a living dinosaur in some jungle somewhere.
P] - PERSON WHO CALLED YOU LAST: My brother.
R] - REASONS TO SMILE: See here.
S] - SONG YOU LAST HEARD: "Discotheque" by U2. (Well, not really. Strains of Divine Discontent were coming from the bathroom after I listened to "Discotheque".)
T] - TIME YOU WOKE UP: 6:45 or so.
U] - UNDERWEAR: The definition is here if you want to know.
V]- VEGETABLE(S): Tomatoes are bad. Most of the time. Spinach is good.
W]- WORST HABIT: Back seat driving.
X] - X-RAYS YOU'VE HAD: My manly chest. (As I say it with a smirk on my face.) But since this question has been changed:
X] - XENOPHOBIC?: I should hope not considering where I live.
Y] - YOUR FAVORITE ANIMAL: The orca, cheetahs, tigers, dinosaurs and kangaroos.
Z] - ZAFFER OR ZAIBATSU?: Zaffer.

100 Movies, 100 Quotes, 100 Numbers

Thanks to Mr. Overstreet at Looking Closer for this amazing video.

On Fairy-Stories

Let us not divide the human race into Eloi and Morlocks: pretty children --"elves" as the eighteenth century often idiotically called them -- with their fairy-tales (carefully pruned), and dark Morlocks tending their machines. If fairy-story as a kind is worth reading at all it is worthy to be written for and read by adults. They will, of course, put more in and get more out than children can. Then, as a branch of genuine art, children may hope to get fairy-stories fit for them to read and yet within their measure; as they may hope to get suitable introductions to poetry, history, and the sciences. Though it may be better for them to read some things, especially fairy-stories, that are beyond their measure rather than short of it. Their books like their clothes should allow for growth, and their books at any rate should encourage it.

J.R.R. Tolkien from his essay "On Fairy-Stories".

Random Musings of The Blogger Why Vol. 2

Honey and grapefruit make a delicious snack.

The short stories Monday and A Brilliant Idea And His Own (by Mark Helprin) are both very satisfying stories.

The change of both weather and feel around here between early March and April is wonderful.

One week of chemistry left. Rejoice!

I just realized that I put up a post in this exact same style three hundred sixty-six days ago.

If you just can't wait for Spider-Man 3 to come out and need a comic book fix check this site out. (Caution: There is violence despite what it may look like on the surface)

That's all folks.

Happy Easter. (Edit)

Easter is here and apart from being a very exciting, important and fun day I don't have anything to say about it that hasn't been said before. But thankfully there are other people with fresh words on the subject. So if you would like to read them they are: here, here and here. O, and here too.
Happy Easter to all and to all a good night for Christ is risen indeed.

Also, see My Old Sketchbook for the Easter series by Eriol.

Chemistry

I'm taking chemistry this year and as such I am drawn to science in conjunction with the news. (Whether by just wanting to know what I am learning about or by genuine interest in the subject can vary from case to case). But nonetheless because of said interest this website grabbed my interest immediately. Seeing the effects that DHMO has on the environment and individuals is mind blowing.
Go check out the site. Be an informed citizen.

Another Cool Internet Video (I should start making these installments)

Neon Bible

The other day I purchased the new Arcade Fire album Neon Bible. Arcade Fire's previous album, Funeral, set a very high standard for their next album and I think they have met that standard. I wont write a review (that is not my strong point) but if you want to see what a professional thinks of Neon Bible you can look here. Also here are some of my favorite tracks from the album:
"Keep The Car Running"
"Intervention"
"The Well And The Lighthouse"
"Windowsill"
"No Cars Go"

Go listen and enjoy.

New blogs

There are a few new bloggers in the midst so why not go out and give them a warm welcome. They are:
Germo at Fickle Fidelity, Spork at Blazing Iron, and SpillandSpell at Children of The Burning Heart
Go forth and make welcome.

?

This link is to bizarre to explain so you should just go here and tell me what you think.

I didn't know you could do that with a treadmill.

Best music video I've seen since Did I Step On Your Trumpet?.
O.K. Go Here It Goes Again

The first of the series mentioned below

The first movie scene I would like to talk about is from the shortest of the movies I will be mentioning in this series. It is the chase scene from Pirates: Season 1, Episode Seven. This movie is the finale of the season fraught with trouble for our heroes Johnny and Roger. One of the most disheartening problems was when the Man in the Sombrero took their treasure map. After a series of adventures featuring seagulls and a knight they once again face their enemy the Man in the Sombrero. They fought with him and almost beat him but then he takes off running. And it is then that one of the best chases since What's Up Doc? begins.
When Johnny and Roger are chasing the Man in the Sombrero around the building trying to get the map back; it excites me every time I see them. Particularly when the Pirates go in and out of doors chasing their nemesis. The best of door switches is when the Man in the Sombrero runs into Roger, knocks him down, and as they chase him through one door he comes out another while their still going through the first. Such brilliant editing. Then when all seems lost Johnny flings the Magic Pig towards their adversary and brings him down.
I think the scene excites me so much because I was on the set when it was being filmed and I couldn't really see this working out to be as amazing as it is. It is a scene that is not only edited magnificently but also is so heroic that I can't help but like it.

Over and over.

I like movies. That is probably evident from the side bar and other posts in the past. And there are some movies that I love so much to watch them repeatedly would be a treat and not a curse. But within those movies are scenes that just suck me in, make me happy or give me the shivers. The kind of images that when you think back on the movie you think of this scene.
Over the next few days (weeks maybe) I would like to mention some film scenes that strike me in the ways mentioned above and why they do what they do.
It would be very professional of me to put up the first of said movies up tonight but I am tired and would like to go to bed so now the first installment is pending. Stay tuned for further updates.

My diploma

For not having my diploma yet I think that this is pretty positive

You paid attention during 91% of high school!

85-100% You must be an autodidact, because American high schools don't get scores that high! Good show, old chap!

Do you deserve your high school diploma?
Create a Quiz

Thanks to Katie for finding this.
Question: What does autodidact mean?

Edit: I took the Genius quiz. Much harder. So if your looking for a challenge you know where to find it.

Blog changes

I made the big jump from "Classic" to "Not Beta anymore" tonight so bear with me while I edit the page to taste. If you have any suggestions or recommendations do not hesitate to leave a comment about it.

Link City

It has been a while since I went on a link spree so here you go.

If you have been looking for the best videos on the web go here.
If you need to have some music to jig to go here.
If you are looking for insightful music reviews and thoughts from the heart go here.
And to add your vote the Knight's poll of 25 favorite movies go here.

That's all folks.

Arcade Fire

Listen to the new Arcade Fire single Intervention here.

25 things to do with my life.

Number One: Know what I am doing with my life.
2. Get to stay for at least a month in all seven continents. (That's right: Antarctica.)
3. Draw something really, really amazing. Like gallery good.
4. Have Spider-Man powers. The thing with this one is then I have to use them right. Oh well, at least then I would have an answer to number one.
5. Get married.
6. Have kids.
7. Be a fantastic father and husband.
8. Learn Korean. The Korean language has a really cool alphabet.
9. FIND A LIVING DINOSAUR AND NOT BE KILLED BY IT. Seriously. Think how cool it would be to find one.
10. Own the Millennium Falcon or Serenity or both. (The real ones)
11. To be really good on some instrument, I don't really care that much just one.
12. To be a part of a gold medal winning Slovak hockey team.
13. Ride in a bobsled.
14. Have a horse in my possession (that I didn't steal) with some wide open space to ride really fast.
15. Ride in an F-4 Phantom jet.
16. Spend extended periods of time with my friends from Slovakia; in Slovakia; in the Tatras. 17. Own a functioning light saber. (Once again, the real kind. That does all the cool things)
18. Have a thriving relationship with God.
19. Drive a really fast car on a straightaway.
20. Be a part of a Mere Image movie. Preferably the Sword movie. Just with a budget this time. Maybe even with actors. I didn't say the MI people had to act.
21. Resolve Middle-Eastern conflict with a non-violent solution.
22. Get enough hours for my license.
23. Have free, non-expiring, always working-wherever-I-go, insurance for that license.
24. Be in a boat and see a whole big pod of Killer-Whales go swimming by breaching like crazy. 25. Destroy banner/pop-up ads.

There you have it. Once again I will break the ruthless cycle of tagging and tag no one

Oi!

While roaming the artificial world known as the internet I came upon a very scary thing.
Something like 40% of the people I know have MyS-----. It is a very scary realization seeing how much I hate it. You know what was really weird? i was looking at one persons "friends" list I saw one person that I knew and while looking at their "friends" list I saw a camp person. It was very strange. Now if you'll excuse me I think I need to read some Dostoevsky or something.

Snow

It's on nights like this that I really hate concrete and cars. You know, when it's snowing and you think "what fun" and then it hits the concrete and melts completely. And cars only make it worse, just think of all the pollution they are putting into the air, heating the air temperature and slowing down snow fall. If there were no cars there would be no concrete then the first problem would be taken care of, unfortunately-and fortunately- there are automobile in existence so I guess I will just have to come to terms with my fate and deal with it.
Although this doesn't mean that I still won't hope that it snows so much that all the roads close and the only way to get around is to walk or sled. That would be fun times. Alas that I live in a temperate rain forest. In any case my sentiment remains the same: Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

Driving

As you know I got my permit a few months back. And I would have to say that, aside from nearly wrecking the car two times tonight, things are going rather well.


Seriously now, everything is okay it's just part of the experience needed to drive well. I suppose it's like what somebody once said concerning horseback riding "If you haven't fallen off yet, you haven't been riding very long."
Time will tell how this whole driving thing works out in the meantime a word of advice: Don't shift into neutral when you're about to go at an intersection. It doesn't work out very well.

With that I bid you "Good night."

The need for proof-readers made known again.

While browsing this site I followed one of the links taking me to this Amazon movie page. I read who directed the movie and was amazed to see it wasn't who I thought it was.

P.S. It shouldn't be how it is.

Clothing

Last night I made a statement and was then told rather sarcastically to put it on my bloc. Being the obedient person I am I have decided to what that person told me to do.


Khaki shorts are the most wonderful clothing item in the world.
Think about it, you can do nearly everything in them and they don't look dirty. You can wear them to church, an Ultimate Frisbee game, or a small state function. Through rain, or snow, or sleet, or hail through the thunder; through the gale, they will get through.

Star Wars Lego Symphany

If you like (A)Star Wars, (B)Legos, or (C)all of the above; this is the video for you.

Music Rising

Watch the video (or more like stills from the video) of U2 and Green Day performing at the Superdome for Music Rising and the re-opening of the stadium here. (RealOne player required).
There's definitely a reason both these bands are so popular, so with them together the sound is spectacular.

An Announcement

I despise MyS---e with a fiery burning passion that the world has never dreamed of. Why? I'm not totally sure, but I do.

Apparently I got tagged so...

Four Jobs I've had in my life:
1. Crew
2. Janitor
3. Raking leaves by the thousand
4. Various jobs

Four movies I would watch over and over
1. Serenity (This movie is really that good)
2. Monty Python and The Holy Grail
3. The Lord of The Rings: The Return of The King
4. The Incredibles

Four places I have lived
1. Portland, Oregon
2. Budapest, Hungary
3. Palmer Lake, CO
4. Atlanta, GA

Four TV shows I love to watch
1. Get Smart
2. Monk
3. Firefly
4. Jeopardy


Four places I have been on vacation
1. Poland
2. Venice
3. The Czech Republic
4. Hannibal, Missouri


Four of my favorite foods
1. Chinese
2. Pizza (Of the good variety
3. My Mumsie's Chili
4. That Salad with the Top Raman that my Mother used to make in Hungary


Four places I would rather be right now
1. Slovakia
2. Antarctica (No particular reason, just because it would be cool to be there.)
3. Prague (Perhaps Krakow)
4. A really BIG section of Russia with a video camera in hand

Four things I always carry with me
1. My visual boosters
2. My Leatherman® Micra™
3. My watch (every summer I have a tan line where my watch lies)
4. My Spleen

Four friends that I think will respond (not really relevant; unless you decide to make it so, I guess)
1. Well guess what. I'm not going to make anyone feel responsible to respond to this and leave this spot blank


Four albums I could listen to until those darn cows come home
1. Funeral
2. Pop
3. New Way to be Human
4. How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb

Four writers that have changed my life (or at least caused me to jump up and say AMEN quite loudly)
1. Matthew
2. Fyodor Dostoevsky
3. Paul
4. J. R. R. Tolkien (Maybe not Tolkien but all the same I love The Lord of The Rings)


Four dead people who are also my heroes
1. I don't really have anyhero'ss, so I think this spot will remain blankuntill further notice.
2.
3.
4

Four things I'd grab from a fire
1. My glasses
2. My wallet
3. The blanket
4. My Bible.

Four books I've read twice, or more:
1. The Lord of The Rings
2. The Bellmaker
3. Clifford the Big Red Dog (No shame)
4. The Man Who Was Thursday

Four Musicians I'd like to see Live:
1. U2
2. The Arcade Fire
3. Switchfoot
4. Another U2 concert

Four Favorite Video/computer Games
1. Age Of Empires II: The Age of Kings, Expansion
2. Battlefront 2
3. Command HQ
4. Gizmos and Gadgets/Halo 2

And now since I am quite the nerd:
Four Favorite Super Hereos
1. Spider-Man
2. Jack-Jack (So he's not one yet but when he is one he will be really cool)
3. Nightcrawler (I know almost nothing about him but hey, he was really cool in the movie)
4. Batman (Same state as Nightcrawler)

That's all folks now you are all un-tagged.

U2 single

Keeping with the tradition of putting up lots of links I have found a new U2 single/music video. Watch it here.

Post

Yes I am alive and yes there is a post coming, just let me catch my thoughts.

Firefly

So I'm always talking about how great a movie Serenity is. Now, hear the theme song for the TV show that started all this.

Watch out.

Beware. I might not have a ticket to ride but I've got a permit to drive.

Best and worst tech inventions of all time.

The people at PC World apparently got together to give us a list of the best and worst tech inventions of all time. Being a Mac guy myself and living in the time of the iPod a lot of these were before my time but they are still a neat history of what has happened since that first 8-track player in the car. So first we have the 25 worst here, then the 50 best here. Read all it is quite interesting.
And here is an article I found while looking for the 50 best.

June is coming.

Yes June is coming and we all know what that means, that's right, it's a World Cup year! I know you thought I was going to talk about camp but there are more important things right, like football (and not the weak sauce American kind either) no this is the real thing here in all unrefined glory. There are a couple cool links I would like to show you but due to the computer I am using I can't. So I'll just give you the URL and you can work from there.
First: U2 does football here. http://www.u2.com/news/index.php?mode=full&news_id=1941

Next read the words of a writer at National Geographic here: http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0606/feature1/index.html

Finally, Nike and the Brazilian Football team get together for the sake of football and shoes here: http://nikefootball.nike.com/nikefootball/siteshell/global_assets/update/index.jsp?check=flash

Pop

I guess since I have been raving about Pop I should post something of a review though it is more like a story, sort of. For starters I will be basing this review on the alternate title of this work of art: The Prodigal Son Wakes Up in The Pig's Stall Wondering What in The World Happened. So without further introduction I present to you U2's Pop.

Pop opens in the thick of the Prodigal son's life of pleasure enjoying himself at the Discotheque but now something is different, he has now encountered something different, something he cannot buy and cannot direct. This begins the Prodigal's discomfort but is not enough to drive him home for we see in the next track that he is right back at it.
In Do You Feel Loved we find the Prodigal back to his old tricks this time in the arms of a lady friend but in the back of his mind the question keeps coming "Do you feel loved? Do you feel loved?” The Prodigal tries to drown it out but the question keeps coming.
Mofo opens with the Son looking around wondering if there is something more to the world he lives in than wine, women and fun. And with more inspection he sees the uglier sides of life and this realization sends him looking for security but in his poor world the only thing that he can even think is his mother but even the comforting love he seeks he has separated from himself.
In his mixed up state the Prodigal looks at the church for hope but only sees the ceremony and tradition and the things wrong with it. He asks If God Will Send His Angels would everything be alright and decides not, that it will be up to the blind to lead the blond and no hope can be found there.
Going out in search of a real experience the Prodigal tries nearly everything to find something real including Staring At The Sun just to feel something, anything. Like a hero from a dystopian novel he feels that what he has been doing is not real so he looks to everything just to find truth, not the only one staring at the sun happy to go blind.
In Last Night On Earth the Prodigal, perhaps disappointed at the failure of his quest (implied, not stated), goes back to his life of pleasure just to find that the whole thing is a sham. The girls are living lies and are racking up debt that they can never pay back. Even though he exposed himself for just a little while to the outside world he can't go back to the illusions of grander that the world offered him.
Immediately following this song is Gone the Prodigal's "See you later world" as he breaks out of the world and makes a run for it. And at the end of the song he makes one last plea for his friend to come with him and escape, but seeing that she is not coming he breaks lose not to be seen again.
Miami begins with the Son's entry of that little town on his way home and here he experiences his biggest temptation to just stop, give it all up and just hang out in Miami, and live a life of leisure and pleasure that is just waiting for him to snatch up.
But the call of Miami isn't enough when the Son thinks about what it all really is and what he would have to be. The two-faced life he would have to live is something he can't do. The entrance into The Playboy Mansion, which might have once been a sick dream come true mere weeks earlier, he can no longer aspire to. He now sees that he doesn't have (or want) what it takes to enter. Instead he hopes for the house where there will be time of sorrow, no time of shame.
In If You Wear That Velvet Dress the Prodigal is plugging his way along the hard trail home, late at night the he starts to remember his old love from back home. The true love that he could never feel with the way he was living while away from home. He considers the exclusive love he was a part of with that beau. Thinking to their close times together under the moon when all was quiet and peaceful.
Please has the son along the road running into somebody, perhaps an old mentor, and getting the kick in the pants that he has been begging for since the beginning. The mentor frying him for all his stupid mistakes and blunders he has been making since school with all his Sunday-school rebellion and elitist attitude.
The blow delivered in the last song drives the Son to the dirt not knowing which way is up but hoping that if he finds it God will be there reaching out a hand in love or at least acceptance. Like the Prodigal in the Bible asking his father for a position as a servant not even considering himself worthy of love from his father. Beaten and broken and questioning if home will be there for him, asking for the stories of what will come, pleading with desperation of a family member at the deathbed of a loved one "WAKE UP! Wake Up Dead Man.”

The album ends there on that sad note of pain but if you look further on into the archives of U2 the next album begins with the chorus " It's a beautiful day", it's almost as though you can see the Father of our poor Prodigal dancing around with joy at the return of his son-though the world falls apart outside-the Son has come home and now it is time to dance.

Well that is it for my take on this album. I will add that though I have put the songs into a story form each individual song can also stand on its own.

A new kind of Philosopher.

Via Andy Whitman from Razing the Bar I would like to present to you the newest kind of Philosopher. Behold them here.