Twenty-four

Well, folks, I don't have much to report, but wanted to say something before heading off to do some Christmass shopping (most for others, a bit for me...) so here is my take on the TV series 24. I have watched seasons 1-3, and the bit of shopping for me will be getting season 4 so I can watch it before season 5 airs January. I think that the concept is a very interesting one: real time events happening over the course of a "day" (obviously it takes longer than 24 hours to shoot, edit and get everything ready for the 24 episodes, but you get the idea) even taking out time for commercials. Here are a few things I have never understood about the series: 1) When do the primary characters sleep? Seriously, have you ever come back from commercials to see Jack waking up in any of the first three series? Along the same lines, when do they eat (every so often we see Kim eating, but rarely anyone else), use the facilities (only in season one is this necessity ever implied to have occurred in commercials), or shower? I don' know about anyone else, but to go 24 hours without sleeping, eating, relieving myself or showering (esp. after the myriad plane crashes, car accidents, torture sessions and surviving traumatic events that Jack and company go through every season) would leave me in a very, very bad mood (maybe that is why Jack kills so many people...). 2) Why is it that every terrorist threat, assasination plot, or other season hook has so many people manipulating other people who think that the attack/whatever is their idea? For example, Season one starts with a kidnaping, which leads to an assasination attempt, which (when foiled) leads to the original crew of bad guys being killed off by the crew of bad guys that were controling things all along, who then go on to try to make another assasination attempt, etc. Why can't one bad guy be the visible person controling things from start to finish, with the sub bad guys being know to be pawns in his/her master plan?
Anyway, aside from these two things, I enjoy the series very much (as evidenced by the fact that I watched both season two and season three in about three days each, taking only a little time to eat, sleep and work myself) and I look forward to seeing seasons four and five soon. Given I have been talking about 24, here is one of my favorite quotes from the series:
"When Plan A fails, you should have a Plan B, not Plan A recycled." - Andre Drazen, first series.
Be well all.

Football (American)

Well, for those of you who didn't check my profile, I am a Steelers fan, and proud to be so. We lost last night to the Colts, but unlike a loss to the Patriots (a team that I ardently despise) I don't feel ashamed at this loss. The Colts are a genuinely good team, and as much as I want my Steelers to go the the Super Bowl, unless we can come together as a team again we will probably lose to the Colts in the AFC championship (assuming we get there). I am not one for looking back much, but rather for looking ahead. The next game we play is pretty much for the AFC North championship against the Bengals. If we beat them then we will have the number one spot in our division again. If not, we will be lucky to get a wild card spot, assuming that the Bengals don't lose all their games after the one with us.
Well, to all my fellow fans from the Steel City (or those around the nation, we are everywhere after all) don't give up hope just yet, we might be able to pull this off yet. And now for that quote:
"Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I don't like that attitude. I can assure them it is much more serious than that." - Bill Shankly

Advent

Well, folks, for those of you who do not know, tommorrow is the First Sunday of Advent. It is pretty much the equivalent to Catholic New Year's, with the difference that instead of having floats and parades and a big ball dropping from the top of a building, we enter our new year in the spirit of preparation for things to come. Advent is a four week (sometimes a bit less) period of prepartion for the Birth of Christ on Christmass day (it may have historically happened long ago, but we still celebrate it and give thanks for God deigning it to happen) but also it serves as a preparation period for the second coming of Christ as well. Well, I hope you all have a safe and holy Advent season, and that your Christmass will be happier and holier for the preparation you put in now. Now, the quote of the entry:
"The opposite of the religious fanatic is not the fanatical atheist but the gentle cynic who cares not whether there is a God or not." - Eric Hoffer
Be well, my friends, and may God look after you.

An Explanation of My Blog Title

Some people might be wondering about the title of this blog: A Caged Bird's Shadow. Where does it come from? Are there any stories that connect these things? Well, I will explain this somewhat bizarre title now so that you can know a bit more about me and my interests.
The first part of the title, A Caged Bird, is in reference to one of my favorite Naruto (and anime in general) characters: Hyuuga Neji. He is refered to as a caged bird because when he was four a cursed seal was carved into his forehead (something pretty common in Naruto and in anime) which limits his ninja abilities and forever marks him as a member of the branch clan of the Hyuuga family. For all of the first episodes we see him he is a strong believer in unescapable fate, saying things like, "Everything is determined beforehand," and, "You can't become Hokage just because you want to, but only if it was your fate to begin with." His interaction (very violent interaction to be precise) with Naruto changes him, and makes him believe that he can achieve things if he works for them even if they seem impossible at the time.
The second part of the title, Shadow, is in reference to one of my favorite movie/radio drama program characters: Lamant Cranston, a.k.a. The Shadow. He is a man that has been trained to cloud men's minds so that they cannot see him, only his shadow which he can never conceal. He fights crime in the 1920s that roams the streets of New York City. If you have never seen the movie, I would recommend it highly (Alex Bauldwin is The Shadow) as I would the radio dramas.
I combined the two because both of them represent me to some degree. I tend to be fatalistic, like Neji was, and I really shouldn't be. I use him to remind myself that I really do have a lot going for me and that I can reach my goals if I try hard enough. And like The Shadow, I know what evil lurks in the hearts of men because I have seen that evil in my own heart. I must strive not only to combat evil abroad, but also within my family and myself if I am to have any hope of reaching my final destination.
Anyway, I have gone on way more than long enough, but I still have to get y'all the quote for the day, so here it comes:
"To build may have to be the slow and laborious task of years. To destroy can be the thoughtless act of a single day." - Sir Winston Churchill
Be well, all, and have a happy Thanksgiving!

Graduate Records Exam

Well, folks, today I go to register to take the dreaded GRE. It is but one more hurdle for me to jump before my goal can be reached, but it is an "important" one. My grades from my last college were not optimal, so I need to prove to Marquette (and everyone else for that matter) that they are not an adequate representation of my intelligence. I hope to take this thing the 12 of December, so if my friends would say a prayer for me on that date I would greatly appreciate it.
And now for the quote:
"When the character of a man is not clear to you, look at his friends." - Japanese Proverb
Well, I need to be off (much to do today, none of it really important) so fare thee well, my friends.

OK, this is my first "edit" of a previously posted thing, so I will establish my tradition as not really altering what was said before (as this would be unfair, and slightly revisionist) but rather just tacking a new comment on to the old one in a different color (this time green). Here is the edit: I just got my GRE date set, but some sneaky person on the internet was able to beat me to the last spot at my testing center by a matter of minutes for the 12th, so I am taking it on the 16th (a Friday) at 12:45 instead. Just keeping y'all notified. Be well.

A quick follow up

Well, I didn't think I would be posting again so soon, but here I am. The world hasn't changed that much since I left my previous school and started attending my current one (CSUSB) but to me the simple change of locations and cultures has been drastic. The people are not interesting, the culture brands me as an over educated nerd, and the classes are so uninspiring and non challenging that I have been tempted to completely slack off. I won't do this. I just visited my old college this last weekend. Nothing like being around civilized intelligent people again to motivate you to do your best regardless of those around you. To those of you who know me from past events know that I am striving to get to my goal (getting my MA in Communications) with everything I have, despite the fact that it is overkill right now. Later it might not be.
Well, I should be going. I have a habit of either starting with or ending with quotes (just ask my former classmates who would often come into class to find some inane quote on the board) so I intend to try to do that here when I can. Here is the quote for the day, as it were:
"I thoroughly disapprove of duels. If a man should challenge me, I would take him kindly and forgivingly by the hand and lead him to a quiet place and kill him."-Mark Twain
Be well all.

One small step for man...

One giant leap for mankind, I think. Well, I finally have a "blog" and I just wanted to post something to look at for those who stop by until I figure this thing out. Well, I guess I should give the low down on my "five year mission" so to speak. I will post things on this semi-regularly, which equates roughly to once or twice a week, and more (or perhaps less) in times of excitement (depending on just how exciting things get I might just not have time to post things, but I will eventually). Well, onward and upward! Be well all.