Another Song

Sorry, folks, I am on a Bob Dylan trip right now, so here is another song from the man. Be well and have a safe New Year.

Artist: Bob Dylan
Song: The Times They Are A-Changin'

Come gather 'round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone.
If your time to you
Is worth savin'
Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who
That it's namin'.
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There's a battle outside
And it is ragin'.
It'll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don't criticize
What you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is
Rapidly agin'.
Please get out of the new one
If you can't lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin'.

The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin'.
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin'.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

I won't be posting for a few days, family things to do and all, so I wanted to say that now.
Oh, and by the way, the Steelers are still in the running for a Wild Card spot. We are mopping the Browns' Stadium up with their own team, and assuming Kansas City beats the Chargers and we win next week over the Lions (let's face it, if we can't beat the Lions we don't deserve to make it to the play-offs) we will get that spot! Hope springs eternal, and all that jazz.
"Journalism largely consists of saying 'Lord Jones is Dead' to people who never knew that Lord Jones was alive." - G. K. Chesterton
I hope you all have a safe and holy Christmas.

A Song

Well, friends, sometimes I want to say something, but someone else has said it better in lyrical format. It is times like that when I just wish to sing something. As I can't do that here, I will just write out the words and give the artist/song name to you so that you can look it up and see what I was trying to sing. Here goes:

Artist: Bob Dylan
Song Title: Everything Is Broken

Broken lines, broken strings,
Broken threads, broken springs,
Broken idols, broken heads,
People sleeping in broken beds.
Ain't no use jiving
Ain't no use joking
Everything is broken.

Broken bottles, broken plates,
Broken switches, broken gates,
Broken dishes, broken parts,
Streets are filled with broken hearts.
Broken words never meant to be spoken,
Everything is broken.

Seem like every time you stop and turn around
Something else just hit the ground

Broken cutters, broken saws,
Broken buckles, broken laws,
Broken bodies, broken bones,
Broken voices on broken phones.
Take adeep breath, feel like you're chokin',
Everything is broken.

Every time you leave and go off someplace
Things fall to pieces in my face

Broken hands on broken ploughs,
Broken treaties, broken vows,
Broken pipes, broken tools,
People bending broken rules.
Hound dog howling, bull frog croaking,
Everything is broken.

Random Things

Well, my friends, I want to take this in a different direction. I want to (for once) just put out some random factoids about what is going on. Without further ado:
1) One of my favorite Strong Bad e-mail's is the CGNU one. Not familiar with it? Here's a link: http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail26.html
2) I finally got all of my Christmas shopping and wrapping done. I even have my Dad's birthday gift (and I have wrapped it, too, so he can't inadvertantly discover it before his birthday). It feels good to be done with all of my gift giving, so now I can concentrate on gift getting.
3) We are making my family's secret Gingerbread cookiees again for the first time in a while (my parents stopped making them while I was at TAC). Want one? I would send it to you but I don't trust the mail service when it comes to foodstuffs. You will just have to wait until I can make one for you.
4) Letters are fun things, but I find that it is a bit disappointing sending out letters but never really getting anything but junk mail. You know who you are, people who never write back. I am watching you! Seriously, if you find the time, write me.
5) I've got my books for next quarter. I tell you, books are expensive these days.
Anyway, enough of the random stuff. Here is a random quote:
"I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn't it." - Groucho Marx
Be well, everyone.

Christmas bells are ringing...

...somewhere else!
Seriously, how are things going, y'all? Has everyone been good boys and girls? If not, you only have less than a week to change your ways before Christmas gets here and you get saddled with enough coal to heat your house with the next couple of months.
Well, as was reported here I took the GRE last Friday. While I don't yet have the analytical writing scores (they actually require a live person to grade) I know that I got a 620 on the Verbal and a 580 on the Quantitative sections, for a combined of 1200. Marquette requires no less than a 450 on either section, but no less than 1000 combined, and a 4.5 on the analytical writing, so I have exceeded most of those requirements so far. Thank you for all the prayers.
Well, my family has gotten our tree and has decorated it. Presents are being wrapped and last minute shopping is being done, as always happens this time of year. Well, I hope that you all are having a safe and holy Christmas break/whatever you are doing now. Here's the quote:
"The brain is a wonderful organ. It starts working the moment you get up in the morning and does not stop until you get into the office." - Robert Frost
Be well, all.

A two-fold purpose

Well, after that somewhat depressing and revealing entry, I bet that some of you thought that I would be out of it for a few days, if not a week. Truth be told, that was what I was planning: when someone leave the field wounded he is not likely to return for a while, even if his wounds come from his own stupidity. But my guardian angel and my patron saints (or maybe just my conscience, I can never really tell) seem to urge me to make one last stand against the darkness, and before I do I want to explain myself. Needless to say, this might be the last entry for a while (but then again, I am often compelled to write even when I truly do not feel like it, so who knows) and I want to leave on a positive note.
First an explanation of my last post. It is rare for me to expose myself like that, even to my closest confidants. I am sorry if my frankness offended or upset anyone. It is just that for too long have I carried that load of doubt and worry around my neck like an anchor. I doubt, I worry, I feel pain and loneliness, and sometimes I despair. I try not to show it, or when I do I try to wear it like a mask of joy. "Be joyful for me," I say, "I am destined to be single! Think of all the freedom I will have. I can wander the earth without ever being tied to one place longer than I wish by family. I can use all I earn to do things I want instead of saving for someone or something else." The honest truth is I know I cannot stand alone. As much as I hate to admit it I fail if I am left to my own devices. I just wanted to let you know that. And at the same time I wanted to thank you for not leaving me alone. My friends are my family, and I love you all dearly, even if I don't say it often or out loud. I want to thank everyone for the last four years. They have been some of the best of my life, and I hope to see all of you again so that we can make more memories together. If that is not possible or is against God's will, than let us at least pray for one another so that we can see each other in the next life.
The second purpose I have for this e-mail is to give a *very* brief synopsis of my plans for the next few years, of course not going into too much detail. As you know from previous posts, I want to go to Marquette University for my MA in Communications, emphasis on Journalism. Everything (well, almost everything) I am doing now is focused on that end. But that end is not the end of my goals. Nay, it is but a stepping stone to reach my true goal: world travel. I want to travel all over this great country, over Canada, Japan, Asian in general, Europe and the British Isles, Australia, South America, maybe even Africa and the Middle East once things cool down a bit there. I want to see the various cultures men have created. I want to see the cities and suburbs, the natural wonders and the ancient glories which we as a species have constructed. And most important of all, I want to bring those things to the people that can't travel there themselves. I want to show the average American the spectrum of culture and the beauty of things they cannot see themselves. Anyway, the way I see it the best way to attain this end is to become a Journalist/Photojournalist. I love to take pictures, so it is a natural fit.
As you can see, however, it does make it a bit hard to have a family life too. I can't be a good husband and father if I am constantly off traveling to some remote corner of the world. And yet, if I do not have someone to come home to, will I truly have a home or will I just have a semi-permanent base of operations? Time and God will tell, I guess. The advantage to getting the degree is that if I ever settle down I can get a job (hopefully) without further education, so I am trying to keep my options open to an extent.
Anyway, I hope that this makes up for the earlier post. No quote, you already got one... Oh yeah, I forgot to do one in the previous post before the last one. OK, fine, here is another quote and now we're even:
"From the moment I picked up your book until I laid it down, I was convulsed with laughter. Some day I intend reading it." - Groucho Marx
Be safe, and until I post again, God Speed!

Wine, Women, Song...& Confusion

Well, friends, I would be lying to you if I said everything was well here in, as my former roommate once dubbed it, "The Tomb of Tal-Rasha" (Diablo II reference for those of you who don't know) though things could be going a lot worse as well. As the title indicates, I have a bit to say on each of these topics. I finally got a song player program capable of playing the music files from Deus Ex original, so I am listening to some pretty cool music (I think) while typing this. The down side is this is about all I can do with those files right now (Deus Ex keeps crashing on my PC and I can't find a way to stop it) so it is almost a pale imitation. I have been discovering some of the coolest mixed drinks and have discovered that I like twelve year old scotch very much. So much in fact that I now owe my Dad a new bottle and that stuff if pretty expensive! Thankfully I have my own supply of Southern Comfort that my parents don't touch (they don't like the stuff) until I get something to pay my debts.
As for women, that one is probably the low point of my life right now. Not only do I not have a girlfriend, I don't even have "friends who are girls" anywhere within a twelve mile radius! The only ones I have are, for the most part, at my old college (which is a two and a half or three hour drive from here one way) and I can't see them in person very often (makes even casual dating/hanging out problematic at best) which is what has me down now. Then again, given my current location I am kind of glad I haven't started seeking out someone to be my girlfriend just yet. For me, the qualities I am looking for would be mostly lacking (I tend to look for spiritual qualities, not just physical ones) among those that I am around by present circumstances. Anyway, that leads to the confusion, namely of what exactly is my vocation? I am pretty sure that the priesthood is not for me. Those who know me know that I tend to act like I'll never get married, that I will be a single, eccentric bachelor all my days. Well, the truth of the matter is that I only put on that front because... well, honestly it is because I am frightened that that is my fate, and if it is I want people to think it is what I wanted. The truth is I know that I can't stand by myself in this dark world. My friends help somewhat, but they can only do so much. I know that I probably won't make it if I stay single, and yet what choice do I have? Marriage is a huge commitment and undertaking, and you can't just enter it haphazardly! I don't know what to do, or even what God wants me to do, and that is hard to deal with. Anyway, here is a quote for y'all:
"Perhaps the feelings that we experience when we are in love represent a normal state. Being in love shows a person who he should be." - Anton Chekhov
Be well, my friends, and may God be with you.

Can't Stop The Bus!

Go Bettis! Be well all.

Narnia

SPOILER ALERT!!!! IF YOU HAVEN'T YET SEEN NARNIA/READ THE BOOK AND ALREADY KNOW THE ENDING FOR THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE, STOP READING NOW!!!! Oh, OK, you can read my post, but don't blame me if I spoil something for you (as I did warn you) after you see the movie/read the book.
OK folks, as the title says I saw Narnia in theaters last night. Boy what a rush! The acting wasn't quite as good as the acting in Lord of the Rings, but it blows what I have seen of the Harry Potter series away on the first try. They use a lot of CGI for the animals (which is understandable) but unlike in the new Star Wars movies it actually looks believable. The witch is seductively evil, the battle scene is well done, and Aslan just simply rocks the house. One of the things I liked the most was they put the children moving to the Professor's house in context. C. S. Lewis says in the book that they were moving to escape the bombings in WW II, but they actually show the bombings in the first scene of the movie. In addition, they didn't cut out the underlying morality Lewis so carefully crafted into the books, something they could have done to save time but would have made the movie almost pointless. Anyway, I greatly enjoyed this film and can't wait until they come out with whichever one they are going to do next. Given I am doing a Narnia review, this quote will come from Lewis:
"Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it." - C. S. Lewis
Be well, my friends, and when you get the chance see this movie!

Winter's First Snow

Well, folks, we finally got the first snow of the season. Now, before y'all rush off to get your skiis or snowboards and make the long trip up here, be advised that it was very little snow and most of it has melted, though Mt. High does make its own snow for those ski crazy flatlanders that drive up here in the most inappropriate vehicles conceived for mountain/icy driving. (No offense, but every year we get the most fatalities and accidents because of people trying to get up here in two-wheel drive cars without chains! Hellfire, there was an accident today even [a truck went off the road and wrapped itself around a tree, DOA] so please use common sense when driving up here and assume that your fellow drivers aren't!)
Well, we probably won't get much more for the rest of the month, but I will let you know otherwise if it happens. Now for the quote:
"Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow." - Robert Frost
Be safe, especially those of you who are passing through areas that get icy.

Finals Over (for me)

Well, y'all, I finished my final today. I blew it out of the water, by the grace of God and being a good note taker (102.66%) so I have clinched the A for that course. I know, state school, so not as strenuous as TAC classes, but nice to have a few A's in my average when I report my cummulative undergraduate GPA to Marquette. Good luck to all my friends at TAC about to take their finals (you will do well, I am sure of it!) and to anyone else who has tests staring them down like the barrel of a Colt .45. Here is the quote for the day:
"Humor is the only test of gravity, and gravity of humor; for a subject which will not bear raillery is suspicious, and a jest which will not bear serious examination is false wit." - Aristotle
Be well and do your best.

24 Season 4

Well, as I said I would do I have finally caught up with 24, season 4. Wow what a rush! I won't ruin anything major for those of you unfortunate enough not to have seen it (Spoiler alert, I will say a few comments on it so those of you who want to be completely in the dark stop reading NOW!) but I will say that it was nice to see the second thing I was gripping about in my previous post come to pass. The main terrorist in season four has to hold the record for longest lasting bad guy in a season (matched only by the recurring appearances of Nina Myers, and those were as a villain pretty limited). I can't wait until season five airs (though I will have to be patient and watch them over the course of several months instead of the days that I am used to). According to the "prequil" that they made for it, the season airs the 16th and 17th of January, and is a 4 hour season premiere! I only hope that it lives up the previous seasons, and doesn't get too repetitive. Well, here is that quote:
"Seeing a murder on television...can help work off one's antagonisms. And if you haven't any antagonisms, the commercials will give you some." - Alfred Hitchcock
Be well, and stay safe.

Thursday, December 8th, 2005

Now I know what you must be thinking, my friends, "Your wrong, the day is Sunday and it isn't the 8th yet." Well, your right, but wrong if you think that I have suddenly decided to title my posts by the day/date I am writing them. No, I honestly think that something big is going down this Thursday, December 8th. Why, you might ask? For three reasons:
1) December 8th is a Catholic Holy Day of Obligation (The Immaculate Conception). Now that makes it special in its own right, being a Holy Day and all, but by itself would not be cause to think that anything unusual will happen.
2) It is the day of my Comm 200 final. Again, not really a major event in its own right.
3) Now things get a bit freaky. As some of you know, I prefer to go to the Traditional Latin Mass when I get the opportunity, though I will go to a Novus Ordo Mass to fulfill my Sunday obligation if I have to. Now, I "acquired" a Missal for the Tridentine Rite by claiming one from an up for grabs pile my Freshman year. There was only one marker in it, and really nothing to identify the owner. The marker was a Holy Card from a funeral mass, listing the dead man's (I don't have it with me, so I don't remember his name) death date as the 8th of December, 1994. Now, again this is not something really remarkable, as people die every day, but I never really noticed the date (and had forgotten that it was the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, and thus a Holy Day of Obligation) until today.
I am slightly superstitious, so when all of these types of things happen on the same day I get suspicious of other-worldly activity. Feel free to tell me later that your Thursday was perfectly normal, heck I wouldn't be surprised if mine was other than the final, but who knows what might happen that day?
Anyway, enough of the rambling. Here's your quote:
"A cynic is not merely one who reads bitter lessons from the past, he is one who is prematurely disappointed in the future." - Sidney J. Harris
Be well, all, and may any sufferings you have lead you closer to our Lord and Redeemer.

The end of COMM 200

Well, I just had my last class in my COMM 200 (Intro to Communications Studies) course at Cal State. The final is in a week (we take our finals online, at least for this class) and after that I will have officially taken and completed one state school course. I will be taking four more next quarter, COMM 240, COMM 243b, COMM 304, and COMM 306 (that is, Writing for the Media, Communications Practicum: Journalism and Photojournalism, Intercultural Communication, and Communication Perspectives) with two on a Mon/Wed/Fri schedual and the other two on a Tue/Thu schedule (needless to say, I will have a bit less time for blogging then, so forgive me in advance if I don't write as much between Jan. 7th and Mar. (insert date, can't remember off the top of my head). Now for that quote of the blog:
"Good communication is as stimulating as black coffee and just as hard to sleep after" - Anne Morrow Lindbergh
Be well all.