A Caged Bird's Shadow

Final Posting

2007-04-18T10:42:00.000-07:00

Well, y'all... This is going to be the last post on this particular blog.
I know that many of you stopped reading this during my year long hiatus, but for any of you that get this I will be making a new blog soon, one that I will post on once a week.
I don't have a name for it yet, but I will post a link to it in the links column once I have it up and running.
Be safe all!

Last Week in California

2006-08-14T16:42:00.000-07:00

Well, folks, it has been a long time coming, but I am finally about to leave this state. I have been packing like a madman for the last few weeks, and soon it will be time to go. Dad gets the U-Haul and car trailer on Saturday, we load my Jeep on the trailer and my furnature/boxes of stuff into the trailer, we get a good night's sleep and then we head out Sunday morning. Needless to say, I will be incomunicato during that time, but I will try to post and let you know how I like Milwaulkee once I get settled. Be well, all, and enjoy the land of eternal summer while you are there.

Woah! Guess its been a while.

2006-06-07T10:37:00.000-07:00

Sorry about that, bloggy.

Anyway, life proceeds and I havent posted on this for a long long time.
I still work as a chef, have two months or so of that left before school starts. Have accepted my loans and registered for classes, just need to get myself an apartment over there and I will be all set for the fall. Just FYI, I am moving out there mid-August.

WoW is going well. It is my main source of communication with an old friend of mine, so I guess I'm not really wasting time. After many regected characters, I finally have one that I have gotten to lvl 40. For non players, there are currently only 60 lvls and lvl 40 is the magic lvl where you can finally buy a mount, making travel time significantly reduced. Anyway, have a few screenshots I have cropped of my character in all his majesty for your viewing enjoyment.

Name: Misirat
Race: Troll
Gender: Male
Class: Priest
PVP Standing: Grunt (rank 2)
Guild: Angels of Night Scream
Rank: Dark Void
Professions: Alchemy (300/300), Herbalism: (300 /300), Fishing (256/300)
Lvl: 48
Pictures:
Unmounted in front of Ogrimmar.
Mounted on Emerald Raptor. Check out his majesty!

Sorry for the delay

2006-04-26T02:50:00.000-07:00

I have finally gotten a job and between work and WoW I barely manage to sleep, eat and check e-mail, much less post stuff.

As I said, I have a job now. I have been employed as a short order chef in a local resteraunt. I am learning a lot about cooking and the food service industry, so my time is well spent.

In addition, I have been WoWing to the point of giving it up for a while. I know I won't, but perhaps I should turn off the wireless broadcaster for a bit...

Anyway, be well all!

Yet another song

2006-04-04T11:19:00.000-07:00

This one I got from a WoW AMV. Turns out I like it more now that I can understand some of the lyrics better. Without further ado...

Artist: Bon Jovi
Song: Blaze of Glory

I wake up in the morning
And I raise my weary head
I got an old coat for a pillow
And the earth was last night's bed
I don't know where I'm going
Only God knows where I've been
I'm a devil on the run
A six gun lover
A candle in the wind

When you're brought into this world
They say you're born in sin
Well at least they gave me something
I didn't have to steal or have to win
Well they tell me that I'm wanted
Yeah I'm a wanted man
I'm colt in your stable
I'm what Cain was to Abel
Mister catch me if you can

I'm going down in a blaze of glory
Take me now but know the truth
I'm going down in a blaze of glory
Lord I never drew first
But I drew first blood
I'm no one's son
Call me young gun

You ask about my consience
And I offer you my soul
You ask if I'll grow to be a wise man
Well I ask if I'll grow old
You ask me if I known love
And what it's like to sing songs in the rain
Well, I've seen love come
And I've seen it shot down
I've seen it die in vain

Shot down in a blaze of glory
Take me now but know the truth
Cause I'm going down in a blaze of glory
Lord I never drew first
But I drew first blood
I'm the devil's son
Call me young gun

Each night I go to bed
I pray the Lord my soul to keep
No I ain't looking for forgiveness
But before I'm six foot deep
Lord, I got to ask a favor
And I'll hope you understand
'Cause I've lived life to the fullest
Let the boy die like a man
Staring down the bullet
Let me make my final stand

Shot down in a blaze of glory
Take me now but know the truth
I'm going out in a blaze of glory
Lord I never drew first
But I drew first blood
And I'm no one's son
Call me young gun
I'm a young gun

Stage I complete...

2006-04-03T14:54:00.000-07:00

Moving on to Stage II...

Well, folks, I just officially got word: I have been accepted to Marquette! I will not be getting any merit based aid (not unexpected) but hopefully will get some loans.

My recent trip up there was eventful. I visited with two of my friends, as well as scouting out potential apartments.

Well, thank you for all of your prayers! Here are some pics I took when I was up there.

Blizzard thinks they are funny...

2006-04-01T20:00:00.000-08:00

But I am annoyed by the first one of their April Fool's links:

http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/burningcrusade/townhall/wisps.html

The second one I find to be greatly amusing, though:

http://www.blizzard.com/press/060401.shtml

Be well all!

quicky

2006-03-28T14:31:00.000-08:00

I don't have time to do this in any great details, but I will respond to this:
My music list sums up my entire mood settings.
I have things to play when I am happy, or sad, or angry. I also have music to put me out of these moods when I am in them.
Have to run (told you I'd be quick) so be well.

An Experiment in Longevity: Next thought from my head

Another song...

2006-03-20T11:58:00.000-08:00

This song comes to me courtesy of the Sopranos. I don't know why I like it, but it is pretty cool.

Be well.

Artist: The Kinks
Song: Living On A Thin Line

All the stories have been told
Of kings and days of old,
But there's no England now.
All the wars that were won and lost
Somehow don't seem to matter very much anymore.
All the lies we were told,
All the lies of people running round,
They're castles have burned.
Now I see change,
But inside we're the same as we ever were.

Living on a thin line,
Tell me now, what are we supposed to do?
Living on a thin line,
Tell me now, what are we supposed to do?
Living on a thin line,
Living this way, each day is a dream.
What am I, what are we supposed to do?
Living on a thin line,
Tell me now, what are we supposed to do?

Now another century nearly gone,
What are we gonna leave for the young?
What we couldn't do, what we wouldn't do,
It's a crime, but does it matter?
Does it matter much, does it matter much to you?
Does it every really matter?
Yes, it really, really matters.

Living on a thin line,
Tell me now, what are we supposed to do?
Living on a thin line,
Tell me now, what are we supposed to do?

Now another leader says
Break their hearts and break some heads.
Is there nothing we can say or do?
Blame the future on the past,
Always lost in blood and guts.
And when they're gone, it's me and you.

Living on a thin line,
Tell me now, what are we supposed to do?
Living on a thin line,
Tell me now, what are we supposed to do?
Living on a thin line.

NOOOO!!!!

2006-03-17T09:06:00.000-08:00

WARNING!!! MAN BATTLESTATIONS NOW!!! THIS IS NOT A DRILL!!!

BLEACH, one of my favorite anime's, JUST GOT LICENCED BY THE EVIL VIZ CORPORATION!!! WE MUST TAKE ACTION!!! SHOCK TROOPERS, PREPARE FOR GROUND ASSAULT!!! ALL TEAMS MOVE IN!!! I WANT THE HEAD OF THE PRESIDENT OF VIZ ON MY DESK BY NIGHTFALL!!!

...

Ok, I feel a bit better now...

In all seriousness, Bleach did get licenced by VIZ. What does that mean? It means two things:
1) It is now illegal to download off the internet in this country. Hence, the best fan-subbers will cease translating and releasing it online.
2) In the next few months, you can expect it to hit American TV, complete with crappy American voice-overs and editing of all the cool gory bits.

You can see why I am mad...

Geesh, first Naruto, now Bleach! It makes me sick!

Forgive the length...

2006-03-13T08:45:00.000-08:00

For any story to make sense, context must be given. Unfortunately for you, dearest reader, the context is long here. However, it is from the scriptures, so at least it will be good for you.

A reading from The Apocalypse (also known as The Revelation to John): 6: 1-8
Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say, as with a voice of thunder, "Come!" And I saw , and behold, a white horse, and its rider had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.
When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, "Come!" And out came another horse, bright red; its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that men should slay one another; and he was given a great sword.
When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come!" And I saw, and behold, a black horse, and its rider had a balance in his hand; and I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, "A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; but do not harm oil and wine!"
When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, "Come!" And I saw, and behold, a pale horse, and its rider's name was Death, and Hades followed him; and they were given power over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth.

The first rider is traditionally considered to be Christ, followed by War, Famine, and Death (who rides with Hell). Now that you know the context, we move on to the response to Drathai's post.

THE FOUR NEW RIDERS OF THE APOCALYPSE:

I have many friends, but four from my old high school and I are particularly close to each other. I have always call them, jokingly, the four riders of the Apocalypse. I have never really thought about roles in the Apocalypse, or what we would ride, until now. This gives me the excuse to do so. To protect identities, I will use our nick-names. If you know them, then good. If now, oh well!

First comes Slinger the Wise, riding a noble charger of purest white. He carries a flaming sword, which burns the wicked, but spares the righteous. Out of his mouth comes barbs, and those stung by the barbs lose all will to fight.

Then comes Ryoga the Lost, riding a wolf black as night, ferocious and terrible. In his hands is a war hammer the size of a small oak, and he smashes all who oppose him. He wears no armor, but all but the strongest blades break on his skin without so much as scratching him.

Afterwards comes Mad-Dog the Tenacious, riding a stone-grey ram. He is armed with a black bow, and it never misses its target. He never loses sight of a target, nor will he allow any to escape the day of Judgement.

Lastly comes Bedlam the Sadistic, riding upon a mechanical stead. He bears a mobile communications center, from which he commands his armies to the ruin of his enemies. He will play with his enemies long enough to have fun with them, and then destroy them in a sickening, but amusing, way.

And who am I in this hierarchy? I am Neji the Insane, harbringer of doom. I ride a panther the size of a small horse, black as my heart. I wield an axe of ice, freezing all in my path. All shall look upon me and despair!

Ok, I feel better now. Anyway, be safe, all.

An Experiment in Longevity

New Links

2006-03-12T13:12:00.000-08:00

Two new website links:
First is to the Linkin Park Official website, second is to the site I get all my AMVs from.
Enjoy!

GRRR!!!!

2006-03-11T11:06:00.000-08:00

WHY DOESN'T G-MAIL WORK!!!

In case you were wondering

2006-03-07T08:34:00.000-08:00

This week, I will not be doing Drathari's thing. I don't know if any of you were following my postings on it or not, but his topic this week is so unrelated to anything I have done that I literally can not relate to it. I will still post a link to it, though, in case any of my faithful readers want to take a stab at it.

An Experiment in Longevity: New topic- Oppurtunity to Rant

Be well, all.

The vilest thing known to students:

2006-03-03T17:07:00.000-08:00

No, it is not the term paper, the thesis, the final exams, or the in class assignments.

IT IS THE GROUP PROJECTS!

If I never have to do one again, it will be too soon. Unfortunately, I have another one due this Tuesday.

One member always, ALWAYS, ALWAYS, tries to see how much he/she can get away with while relying on everyone else's survival instincts to carry them to higher grades.

Well I have news for you, Mr. Slacker: If I ever catch you, you will rue the day you were BORN!!!

On that friendly note, be well.

Changes

2006-03-01T21:22:00.000-08:00

Well, folks, it is late and I have school tommorrow, so I can't be up all night blogging.

That means I get to the point quickly, and to hell with grammer!

First, I finally got my final midterm back. I got a 98% on it. Thanks for your prayers.
I will be calling upon you for more soon, as my finals are looming in the not-so-distant future.

After those said finals, I will be leaving Cal State San Bernardino, never to return (I pray). That is right, I have finished everything I set out to do, now it is time to move on.

I am hoping to enter the work force while I wait for Marquette's decision on whether or not to admit me to their MA program. It won't be glamouras work, or even high paying. I just hope to recover some of my funds that I have depleted while I have been going to Cal State.

I still don't know about my status at Marquette. Any and all prayers on that topic would be appreciated. I am planning on heading out there toward the end of the month to do some recon. I need to know what I am getting into, as well as where I will be staying/working in the coming years.

As a final note, I have finally sucumbed to the vile plague known only as World of Warcraft. I am not on the realms yet, but I have bought the game, so it is only a matter of time.

"Do you hear that, Mr. Anderson? That is the sound of inevitability." - Agent Smith, Matrix

Anyway, I have to log off. Be well, where ever you are.

Oh, one final note: Today was Ash Wednesday, the begining of the Lenten Season. I will speak about Lent later. I gave up alcohal for my penance, though.

We will see how well that goes...

A River Runs Through It

2006-02-27T15:53:00.000-08:00

I personally have no experiences with rivers as such, so I am not the most qualified to write on where they come from or where they go. I am a boatman of a different sort, however, as I am constantly flowing down the rivers of humanity called our roads.

The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.
-- J.R.R. Tolkien

At night, when you are looking out over a road it looks exactly like a river of light. White headlights heading one direction like the Mississippi, red tail lights heading like a counter-current.

I don't often like humanity, but that is an impressive sight to see.

Be well, all!

An Experiment in Longevity: Weekly Thought!

So cool a blog

2006-02-20T16:18:00.000-08:00

I thought y'oud enjoy it.
I am back into the realm of AMVs!
Boyer-san, Sarah-chan, get back into the realm! Some awesome ones have come out since we left.
Go to http://www.animemusicvideos.org/home/home.php for great AMVs.
Got to run!

Isildur's Bane

2006-02-19T08:57:00.000-08:00

The direct quote for this week's topic is:
"Bleckh, must have more RAM!"
I can agree with this sentiment, at least partially. In theory (and practice) if you have enough RAM, you can run programs (such as high end video games) that for some other reason (eg processor speed) normally wouldn't run on your PC. RAM is a good thing, and truly one can never have enough of it. But that is not my bane...

My bane is, and always will be, Hard Drive Space!

My PC, for example, has 120 GB combined (a 40 and an 80) and I am at the point of seriously considering buying an external hard drive!

Where did all the space go? Good question.

Let us see,
1) ANIME! I have the entirety of Hikaru no Go (75 regular episodes and three specials), over 130 eps of Naruto (as well as the first movie and the specials), lots of the Bleach episodes, Monster episodes, a few Trinity Blood episodes, and Basilisk episodes. Not to mention one random movie (Beyond the Clouds) which I do recommend.
2) MUSIC! Just about every CD I own or my parents own has been burned unto my pc. Even in MP3 format, that is still a lot of information!
3) AMVs! For those who don't know, Anime Music Videos. I am absolutely addicted to them, especially when I already know the anime. Haven't been getting them lately, though...
4) VIDEO GAMES! I have section of my hard drive partitioned, and it was originally devoted to nothing but these! Now, I have deleted some of the ones I don't play to make more room for Anime...
5) DOCUMENTS! Last on the list is documents. They may not take up that much space, but I have several big ones, and a lot of them in general.

I have enough RAM to do what I want, but hard drive space is my bane at this point.

An Experiment in Longevity: Brand new Topic

Quicky

2006-02-17T09:06:00.000-08:00

Don't have much time.
Just want to say that:
1) Yes, I survived Black Tuesday.
2) Cal State is needlessly secretive about stuff.
3) G-mail ROCKS (get an account if you can...)
4) Death is only the beginning...
Be well, all.

Happy Black Tuesday, Everyone!

2006-02-14T10:17:00.000-08:00

Well, I bet you're wondering: Why is this Tuesday black?

"I can't tell you, ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"
"Well, can you at least give me a hint?"
"You want a hint?"
"Yes, please."
"How long... can you tread water, ha ha ha ha ha ha." - Bill Cosby

Seriously, it is Valentine's Day (or for us R. C., Saint Valenine's Feast Day) and it wouldn't mater if it landed on a Sunday, for me it becomes Black *insert day*. I have never liked this quasi-holiday, as it always seemed like a day devoted to everyone with a girlfriend/lover/fiance/spouse/what-have-you to flaunt that fact before everyone who doesn't, e.g. me. A person can only take so much of that before the holiday associated with it becomes evil in their eyes. To all of you who have any of the above and plan on doing something fun/romantic/whatever today, fine good on you. The rest of us will be in the bars/where-ever-they-serve-cheap-drinks trying to ignore your very existence. Don't mind us, but don't bother us either!
Be well.

The Promised Song

2006-02-13T16:37:00.000-08:00

Well, folks, I have never been one to back out of a promise. I promised that I would post a "happier" song, so I shall now make good on that promise. It is in a different language (Japanese) so I will post both the "romanji" japanese version (for those of you who don't know, it is the phonetical spelling in Roman characters of the Japanese language, though there is no "official" romanji guide; the best/most accurate way of showing Japanese is Kanji, though I can't do that on this PC yet) and then an English translation (note, subject to enterpretation, as not an "official" translation, and some people translate some things differently...). Also note that while I personally find this song to be "happy" I make no promises that others will find it to be so...
Now, with all of these caviots and conditions out of the way, I will present my song.
Be well, all!

Artist: High and Mighty Color
Song: Ichirin no Hana (My One Flower)

Kimi wa kimi da tashika
Inai yo kawari nante hoka ni inain da
Iarenaide ichirin no hana

Hikari ga matomo ni sashikomanai kimi wa marude hikage ni saita hana no you
Dojikaketa kimochi... Dakidaseba ii

Kimi wa kimi da tashika
Inai yo ima made mo kore kara saki ni mo
Tatoe kimi igai no subete no hito o teki ni mawasu toki ga kite mo
Kimi no koto mamorinuku kara
De ichirin no hana

TIME... NOTICE THAT...
YOU SHOULDN'T NOTICE THAT...
NOTICE THAT... THERE'S NO OTHER
--------------
You are you, for sure.
There's no substitute anywhere, there is none.
Please don't wilt, my one flower.

You, upon who the light hardly shines, are just like a flower blooming in the shade.
Those feelings you're about to lock away... You oughtta spit them out!

You are you, for sure.
There's been none like you before and never will there be.
Even if a time comes where you make enemies of everyone other than yourself,
I will protect you through it all.
So please don't give up, my one flower.

TIME... NOTICE THAT...
YOU SHOULDN'T NOTICE THAT...
NOTICE THAT... THERE'S NO OTHER

(Thank you Lunar Fansubs for the translation, and for continuing to do Bleach.)
(Thank you, Japan, for producing such wonderful anime like Bleach for our viewing enjoyment.)

The curtain has fallen

2006-02-13T10:43:00.000-08:00

The Final Curtain Call, eh Drathari? I've seen one of them's once...
*SMACK* "Quit channeling Strong Bad!"
"Yes, mom..."

In all seriousness, I think that everyone experiences two types of Final Curtain Calls in their life. The first is at the end of any given phase of our lives. When we transition from one school to the next, from school to work, from one type of job to another, and so on. We always look for some type of recognition for what we have done for the last *insert amount and unit of time*, before we move on to doing something else. That, in my opinion, is why we like to have ceremonies or rituals marking these transitions.
When we leave college we (hopefully) go through a final curtain call that is graduation. We give the graduates a chance to take one last bow, in addition to commending them for their efforts, before we send them off to where ever it is they are going next. We have retirement parties for people who have served with us for a period of time before they leave.
The other type of final curtain call I think we all go through, being a believer in an afterlife, is after we die. I know, not a pleasent topic, but one that concerns everyone. Let's face it, no one has lived forever yet, and I am not about to bet money that someone alive now is going to do so.
Regardless, I believe that when we die we go through a curtain call of sorts. We see everything we did (both good and bad) and we have to take credit for both. It is after this that we move on to the unknown fate that awaits all who die. I have an idea of what happens to people beyond that point, but it is just that: an idea. Having not passed through that curtain yet I really don't know for certain what is on the other side.
Well, I hope that fish-boy finds this a bit more in keeping with his/her values and ideals, but quite frankly I don't ultimately care.
"Here, fishy, fishy, fishy..."

An Experiment in Longevity: Topic 4 -yes its late

A Day Which Will Forever Live In Infamy

2006-02-08T18:01:00.000-08:00

Well, not quite that bad, but certainly bad enough for me to think so.
Just about everything I have tried to do, worked with, or thought about working with has blown up in my face.
I will spare you, gentle reader, the grisly details, but know this:
I want to know why we have days where we might very well have been better off sleeping through, despite whatever commitments we normally have. Any and all thoughts about this will be welcome.
"So this is hell. I'd never have believed it. You remember all we were told about the torture-chambers, the fire and brimstone, the 'burning marl.' Old wives' tales! There's no need for red-hot pokers. HELL IS--OTHER PEOPLE!" - Jean-Paul Sartre
Be well, and I hope your day is better than mine!

So dark...perfect!

2006-02-06T11:23:00.000-08:00

"Clouseau, are you alright? Are you injured?"
"No, fortunately the darkness saved me."
"So what you are saying, then, is we need more light." - Revenge of the Pink Panther

Well, I still am riding with a maniac who's true identity I know not, but that should not surprise those who know me overly much. Turning of the Screw, huh. This requires a certain dementia that can only be defined as chaos driven... give me a moment.

*speaking softly in a dark voice* "I summon the forces of chaos, randomness and sarcasm. Fill thy humble servant with the power necessary to complete this task."

*a dark aura glows around the PC* "Excellent..."

Now that that is done, on to the topic...

Why does the screw turn? Is it because of the laws of nature, or is it because of the divine? Where is this screw? Is it in my head, or is it symptomatic of the culture of metal and gears that has overtaken my once green and natural homeland? Where have the rangers gone? Why do we live lives bound to our own creations?

Inventions which were once luxuries are now necessities. Twenty years ago I didn't have high speed internet access, it was a luxury. I lived without it just fine. Now, take away my internet connection and you have robbed me of half of my friends! One hundred years ago we didn't have cars, yet we still got from place to place. How many people can do that in this day and age? How many people rely on horses or trains or, heaven forbid, THEIR OWN TWO FEET to get them places within their own towns and cities? Cars, computors, cell phones, the internet, all tools meant to make our lives easier, instead enslave us to them. I am no exception. I drive everywhere. That doesn't mean I can't take notice of my enslavement.

And still the screw of human ingenuity turns toward our doom. We create ever more inventive ways to enslave ourselves. God help us, we certainly can't help ourselves...

An Experiment in Longevity: Three.. three topics.. Hahhaha. *thunder boom*

Random imaginings

2006-02-02T12:00:00.000-08:00

A band of 20 soldiers march past my shop. Their metal armor glistens in the sun, only being obscured by their green and tan cloaks, marking them as soldiers from Arathiea. From their direction, they must be marching to the Eastern war. Most of them are barely older than my sons, yet all of them march like they were born wearing their armor. Their commanding officer is young and princely, but already the strains of command are showing in his face.
"Mirin, get me two casks of water and the tray of fresh bread we have," I call out to my eldest daughter. While she goes about doing as I asked, I run out to the commander. "Good sir," I exclaim, "do you have time to take on what fresh provisions we can provide? We can only give you freshly baked bread and well water, but it is the least we can do."
The commander nods, and orders his men to halt. We give them what we can and then see them off.
"Why did you help them, da?" Mirin asks. Since my wife died, she has been the one looking after my younger children.
"They remind me of my old friends. We were young when war broke out, yet they still went off to fight for all of our freedom. Such sacrifice should be met with kindness and respect." I close the doors of my bakery and begin to prepare for dinner, pushing the memories of my fallen friends out of my mind for the time being.

January

2006-01-30T10:46:00.000-08:00

Well, folks, January is almost over, and I would be remiss if I didn't give a small summary of how this month has been going. So, strap yourselves in, and keep all hands, legs, arms, and sanity inside the moving vehicle at all times!

"Things are going to get pretty interesting."
"Define 'interesting.'"
"'Oh God, oh God, we're all going to die.'"
"This is the Captain, we're going to experience some turbulence and then... explode." - Wash & Mal, Serenity

Well, I started this month with four of my close friends in San Jose, ironically enough in a Dave & Buster's. I have visited the Winchester Rifle Mystery House, played more video games than I care count, and finally caught up in the realm of certain anime that I love.

I have visited TAC again, and found that things never really change there, only the faces do (and not even that is a certitude). While I miss the faces, and some of the oddities that are peculiar to TAC, if the truth be known I don't miss TAC proper. I just haven't found somewhere better yet...

I have finally caught up with some of my friends. It seems that some of their plans for the future have changed drastically since I saw them last, but others have stayed true to their original courses (you know who you are, so I will not name names), while still others have taken logical steps on the path before them, even if they didn't see it originally. I hope that whatever the course taken by any of my friends, they get to the same destination.

My own course has been battered by winds, rains, and storms; yet I stay true to my guiding star. My star still shines upon the journalism field. I will continue to pursue my path until I can do so no longer.

Speaking of those following the path destiny has lain at their feet, my Steelers have defied everyone's expectations and have gone from sixth seed in the AFC playoffs to being the AFC Champions! If I was to make one of those fan signs you see people showing on National TV, it would go something like this:

GETTING TO THE SUPER BOWL IS AS EASY AS

3 BENGALS

1 COLTS

2 BRONCOS

LOOK OUT, SEAHAWKS, HERE WE COME!

But, as you can see, I am not on National TV, nor can I even do my sign right with these limited controls (I mean seriously, I can't even paste in struck through text! Oh well.

Well, this month has been interesting. Here's to hoping next month start with a bang!

The fire burning in my veins IS my family!

2006-01-27T11:12:00.000-08:00

Since I don't have much time to kill, just a little, this will be brief. I am still interested in this thing, so I will still do it. On to the adventure!
As you might infer from the title, I say family. Though how I define family is different than true blood family. I make maybe two or three friends a year (if I am lucky/interested in doing so). To me, my blood family ends at my parents. I have no brothers or sisters, have never really interacted with my extended family much, so my friends ARE my family to me. My brothers, sisters, confidants and informants... there is nothing in the world that I value more than these! I don't give my friendship lightly, and it takes a lot to earn my trust. But once I give it, it is almost for life. It takes a severe betrayal for me to cut someone off. No, once you are part of my family I will willingly die to protect you, always try to make you laugh when you are down, give you the best advice I can, and give you my shoulder to cry on when I can do nothing else. That, to me, is family.
Strangers are those that I will not do much more than be civil with. I distrust all who are not me or mine. No real offense, but I can't trust you until you become family to me.
Anyway, this is a bit longer than expected. The pic is of me and my brothers on our San Jose trip. A picture tells a thosand words. What does this say to you?

An Experiment in Longevity: Topic TWO

OK, bear with me

2006-01-25T19:39:00.000-08:00

I know I promised that the next song I uploaded the lyrics for would be "happier", but I can't help it right now, things are going way to weirdly/darkly for me to really post a happy song.
Those of you that pray, say a prayer for me if you would, I certainly could use it.
On the plus side, this is the first song I've posted that was written in my lifetime! Take what you can, give nothing back.
Be well.

Artist: Linkin Park (everybody gasp!)
Song: Somewhere I Belong (note, things in brackets are sung by a secondary singer)

(When this began)
I had nothing to say
And I get lost in the nothingness inside of me
(I was confused)
And I let it all out to find
That I'm not the only person with these things in mind
(Inside of me)
But all the vacancy the words revealed
Is the only real thing that I've got left to feel
(Nothing to lose)
Just stuck/hollow and alone
And the fault is my own, and the fault is my own

I wanna heal, Iwanna feel what I thought was never real
I wanna let go of the pain I've held so long
(Erase all the pain till it's gone)
I wanna heal, I wann feel like I'm close to something real
I wanna find something I've wanted all along
Somewhere I belong

And I've got nothing to say
I can't believe I didn't fall right down on my face
(I was confused)
Looking everywhere only to find
That it's not the way I had imagined it all in my mind
(So what am I)
What do I have but negativity
'Cause I can't justify the way, everyone is looking at me
(Nothing to lose)
Nothing to gain/hollow and alone
And the fault is my own, and the fault is my own

I wanna heal, I wanna feel what I thought was never real
I wanna let go of the pain I’ve held so long
(Erase all the pain till it’s gone)
I wanna heal, I wanna feel like I’m close to something real
I wanna find something I’ve wanted all along
Somewhere I belong

I will never know myself until I do this on my own
And I will never feel anything else, until my wounds are healed
I will never be anything till I break away from me
I will break away, I'll find myself today

I wanna heal, I wanna feel what I thought was never real
I wanna let go of the pain I’ve held so long
(Erase all the pain till it’s gone)
I wanna heal, I wanna feel like I’m close to something real
I wanna find something I’ve wanted all along
Somewhere I belong

I wanna heal, I wanna feel like I'm somewhere I belong
I wanna heal, I wanna feel like I'm somewhere I belong
Somewhere I belong

[Like I said, maybe by expressing my anger/angst/whatever in words I will finally be happy enough to post some joyfull songs.]

Funny ending

2006-01-25T17:00:00.000-08:00

Strong Bad e-mail after clickers tend to be decent, but this one should strike a chord with all the Greek scholars, TAC homeschoolers, and most people who have had a Strong Sad in class before.
Bleach 65 is out by Datte-Bayyo (no, no link until either Lunar or Bleach Society put it out) but it is a decent DB translation (unlike 63 and 64, this one actually makes some sense!) so if you have to have that fix, go ahead and get it.
Now for a quote:
"The future ain't what it used to be." - Yogi Berra
Be well, all.

Another thing I wanted to do

2006-01-24T17:48:00.000-08:00

Well, my car won't go and my school is again closed due to winds, so I guess everything balances out right now. If the car doesn't go tommorrow, however, I might be in trouble.
Anyway, I just wanted to let you know how my application to Marquette is going. I filled out the formal form of application this weekend, and I got confirmation from one of my former professors that he sent a letter or recommendation for me today, so things are going well. I need to get the other two letters, but those two professers have said they will write one for me. The GRE is taken, but I need to make sure that the grades were, in fact, sent to Marquette. One of my two transcripts should be sent soon (thank you Mimi!) but the other is proving to be a hastle. And there still is the matter of the Academic Statement of Purpose, but it should be done soon. Anyway, just thought I would keep anyone who is interested "in the loop" for now.
"Everyone keeps talking about beer googles. I can't find the plans for them anywhere!" - Male Gnome emote.
Be well.

Something I'm going along with...

2006-01-24T16:05:00.000-08:00

In case this needs explaining, click the link below and you will get as much explaination as I have.

Without further ado: MY WORLD!!!
Sure, it isn't all mine yet (funds for my battlemech army are low right now) but one day it will be!
Seriously, folks, I don't view the world as mine in the strictest sense. It was made for me, true, but not just me. I want to see most of it before I pass on.
I want others to be able to see it through me. I want my world tours to reach even those that cannot leave their areas due to commitments. It is my world, but I don't want to be its only resident.

Then you get into the "virtual world" of online gamers. People on the same street playing with people half a world away in real time. Think about the tech advances that make that possible! Only 100 years ago people could barely communicate across a state in weeks. Now I can post this and english speaking/reading people the world over can read it instantly! To quote the Daily Show's John Stewart: "'Riding up to the Internet?!' That's not a generation gap, that's a frickin' CANYON!"

Well, this is shorter than expected, or maybe longer than expected, but I am known for being too wordy when I should be brief and too terse when I should expound on things, so I will leave it at that.

Be well.

An Experiment in Longevity: Week 1- Topic Numero Uno!!!

Many things

2006-01-23T17:50:00.000-08:00

I have many points, but don't want to waste time on any particular one. So, here it goes:
1) STEELERS ARE GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL!!! Here's to hope, even in dark times.
2) Class was cancelled on account of wind. Believe it or not, trees were being knocked down and people as well, so they closed the campus.
3) If you watch Bleach, you must see through 62. (63 and 64 have yet to be released by Lunar, but they are funny as well.) SO MUCH HAPPENS, but I won't spoil it for you.
4) SB e-mails are in, watch when you can.
5) If you have TV, and have not started the new season of 24, FOR GOD'S SAKE DON'T!!! So much happenned in the first four episodes that you will be hopelessly lost if you try to start now. Just wait for Season 5 to come out on DVD. If you have seen the first four episodes, go ahead and watch tonight. You have my blessing. In fact, I will hunt you down if you don't! Just kidding.
Anyway, I have to go. I hope that you are doing well where ever you are.
"I'll kill a man in a fair fight. Or if I think he's going to start a fair fight." - Jayne, Serenity

WoW

2006-01-20T11:34:00.000-08:00

World of Warcraft: A.K.A. Techno Crack, Online Opium, & The Virtual Killer.
No, I do not play yet. I am fighting the temptation to start "pure" online gaming as much as possible. But it is SO HARD!!! Warcraft is MY universe! I have played every single game that has come out, and have even read most of the novels. The only things saving me from this online peril are 1) school work takes most of my time, and 2) I have yet to find a cash of prepaid game cards (I refuse to pay via credit card or PayPal). Otherwise, I might be playing now instead of writing this.
This thing is not letting me post pictures right now, so I will settle with a quote:
"I come from the Orcs, We eat with spoons and forks, We love to eat our pork." - Male Orc singing, an emote that you can get if you play as a male orc.
Anyway, be safe all of you. Go Steelers!

Keep those lyrics rolling

2006-01-18T20:09:00.000-08:00

Well, before I launch my third song, I will comment on a few things:
1) I am back at home again. I visited TAC over the long weekend, in case you didn't know.
2) Steelers beat the Colts! Way too close for comfort, but we still are in the running.
3) Some times the best solution to a problem is the obvious one.

Anyway, here is the song. Enjoy!

Artist: The Rolling Stones
Song: Paint It Black

(note: sometimes I think that this should be the theme song to my autobiography...)

I see a red door and I want it painted black
No colors anymore I want them to turn black
I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer cloths
I have to turn my head until my darkness goes

I see a line of cars and they're all painted black
With flowers and my love both never to come back
I see people turn their heads and quickly look away
Like a new born baby it just happens ev'ry day

I look inside myself and see my heart is black
I see my red door and it has been painted black
Maybe then I'll fade away and not have to face the facts
It's not easy facin' up when your whole world is black

No more will my green sea go turn a deeper blue
I could not forsee this thing happening to you

If I look hard enough into the settin' sun
My love will laugh with me before the mornin' comes

I see a red door and I want it painted black
No colors anymore I want them to turn black
I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer cloths
I have to turn my head until my darkness goes

Hmm, hmm, hmm, ...

I wanna see it painted, painted black
Black as night, black as coal
I wanna see the sun blotted out from the sky
I wanna see it painted, painted, painted, painted black
Yeah!

(OK, that was a little depressing. Next time I will publish a "lighter" song, I promise.)

If there is a bright center of the universe...

2006-01-12T21:24:00.000-08:00

...then this is the point farthest from.

Well, folks, I am about to leave here for a while. I won't say where I am going (if you know already it is because I want you to know, and if not don't ask) or why I am going there. I will talk about this more later.

In other news, I found out who I am writing for in the Coyote Chronicle (CSUSB's paper): The Sports section. No, I don't really want to be there, but there I am. I will do my best to carry out my duties. Right now they have me doing interviews, but who knows how long that will last.

Anyway, here is the quote of the entry:

"I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies." - Thomas Jefferson

Goodnight, friends, and good luck.

Comm 240 & Comm 243A

2006-01-10T19:35:00.000-08:00

Why, you ask, am I mentioning those two classes out of the four I am taking this quarter? Simple: They are the most time intensive/preperatory/fun classes I will be taking. Sure, Comm Theory and Intercultural Comm (Comm 306 and Comm 304 respectively) are interesting in their own right, but Writing for the Media (240) and Comm Practicum: Journalism/Photojournalism (243A) will be related to my future field. In WM I am learning all about how to write in newspaper style (I might give pointers on this blog if I get the time) and in CP:J/PJ I will actually be writing for the school paper. Neat, huh? These will not be easy courses, but I will try my best and learn as much as I can. Coincidentally, I have the same professor (Prof. Jim Smart) for both, and thus I have him once a day, every day, five days a week.
I promised two quotes this time, so here they are:
"I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand." - Confucius
"Don't join the book burners. Don't think you're going to conceal faults by concealing evidence that they ever existed. Don't be afraid to go in your library and read every book..." - Dwight D. Eisenhower
I hope you all are doing well. Be well and peace be with you.

Where has all the time gone?

2006-01-08T19:49:00.000-08:00

Well, my friends, time keeps getting away from me, despite my efforts to prevent it and the change it brings.
After leaving the train station at 4:40 AM this morning (my friend Z needed to finally return home and AmTrak is always late) very little was going through my sleep-fogged head, except for wondering what in my car was causing that disturbing sound and how very much I would look forward to finally getting to sleep. If I had been more conscious I might have noted that things around me were changing rapidly. My friends, who for the first time in five years were all united under one roof, had all once again gone their separate ways. School starts tommorrow, and I really don't want to go back again. The deadlines are coming up on my application to Marquette. And to top it all off, my car needs to go to the shop again for yet another repair.

...I may be imagining things, but I do believe that I am getting old.

Regardless, I have things to do, so I will leave you with something dear to my heart: The Steelers beat the tar out of the Bengals in their own stadium once again, winning by a 14 point margin (the spread was three points in our favor), namely with a score of 31-17. We advance to play argueably one of the better teams this year: The Colts. If we beat them, we should be able to beat the winner of the Denver/New England game (knock on wood). Pictures are from the official website, visit it sometime.

No quote this time, double quote next time.

Be well and God Bless!

Back from San Jose

2006-01-05T20:47:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! Happy New Year!
I just got back from my trip to San Jose with some old High School/College friends. The time went by way too quickly, but we had a blast! We watched the entire Star Wars saga, went to the Winchester Rifle Mystery House (a very crazy place, let me tell you), played a few hours of Star Wars Battlefront II (I love playing as the Emperor), and hung out in general. One of my friends is still with me, but the rest of us have parted ways for now. School starts up again the 9th, so blogging will definately become less frequent. Regardless, I hope you are all in good health.
Here is the quote:
"Without friends no one would choose to live, though he had all other goods." - Aristotle
Be well, and God watch over you.

Another Song

2005-12-28T11:26:00.000-08:00

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!

2005-12-24T12:37:00.000-08:00

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

2005-12-21T17:05:00.000-08:00

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

2005-12-20T15:38:00.000-08:00

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...

2005-12-19T07:26:00.000-08:00

...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

2005-12-14T15:13:00.000-08:00

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

2005-12-14T07:59:00.000-08:00

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!

2005-12-13T08:54:00.000-08:00

Go Bettis! Be well all.

Narnia

2005-12-12T09:46:00.000-08:00

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

2005-12-09T21:03:00.000-08:00

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)

2005-12-08T17:26:00.000-08:00

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

2005-12-06T12:16:00.000-08:00

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

2005-12-04T16:38:00.000-08:00

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

2005-12-01T16:16:00.000-08:00

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.

Twenty-four

2005-11-30T09:40:00.000-08:00

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)

2005-11-29T08:45:00.000-08:00

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

2005-11-26T09:03:00.000-08:00

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

2005-11-23T07:30:00.000-08:00

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

2005-11-22T10:00:00.000-08:00

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

2005-11-21T16:39:00.000-08:00

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...

2005-11-21T14:29:00.000-08:00

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.