This is my kind of music!
I can't remember how I first heard Cat Power (Chan Marshall), my usual route of hearing about a musician through my friends wasn't the case because none of my friends seem to know who she is.
But I know.
And I love her.
She's got exactly the kind of voice I want to listen to and sings songs that I want to hear.
My musical review skills are exceedingly underdeveloped, so I don't believe I can do justice in that regard. My opinions are quite shallow and I don’t know the history of music enough to make thoughtful comparisons… What I do know is that I like Cat Power!
Other stuff I like (so you can judge what ‘my kind of music’ means)
Evanescence
Garbage
Holly Golightly
Jesca Hoop
Julie London
Kirsty MacColl
Leonard Cohen
Lucinda Williams
Sarah Mclachlan
That’s not everything, but you get the idea. (I hope)
Saturday, December 2, 2006
| What Kind of Reader Are You? Your Result: Literate Good Citizen You read to inform or entertain yourself, but you're not nerdy about it. You've read most major classics (in school) and you have a favorite genre or two. | |
| Fad Reader | |
| Book Snob | |
| Dedicated Reader | |
| Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm | |
| Non-Reader | |
| What Kind of Reader Are You? Create Your Own Quiz | |
Saturday, October 21, 2006
Communications Officer I
I must first appologize for the extreme tardiness of this entry. As regular readers will remember I was applying for the position of Communications Officer I here in Virginia Beach. (re: Please sir. I want a job...) Well I finally got the job!! (yay me.) It has been quite a grueling training regimen, and it's only about half over... Then I get to go for supervized On-The-Job training. If I continue to do well, I will eventually be released as a 911 call taker.
I will be the voice on the other end of the line when citizens of our fair city are having the worst day of their lives, and cry out for succor. Hopefully I will be able to get them the help they need so that it isn't the last day of someones life...
As a result of all this training (which is stressful in itself) and the more normally stressful parts of my life I have sadly neglected my duties as a member of the blogosphere, again I submit my humblest appologies... ;)
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Monday, September 11, 2006
Who you are in 50 questions.
This is me!
Free Jung Personality Test (similar to Myers-Briggs/MBTI)
I believe it to be somewhat accurate, but... just 50 questions!?
| INTJ - "Mastermind". Introverted intellectual with a preference for finding certainty. A builder of systems and the applier of theoretical models. 2.1% of total population. |
I believe it to be somewhat accurate, but... just 50 questions!?
Tuesday, September 5, 2006
Four - Oh!
Having recently had a birthday, I am now apparently old. Everyone is making fun of me (including me). They ask me how it feels to be old. I must say, I don’t know. I am usually only distantly aware of my age. In years past I have had to actually calculate my age as I had forgotten just how old I was. It just wasn’t something I often thought about.
This is the age that everyone seems to agree upon as being too old. For what, I don’t know. It seems expected that people lie about being forty. This is a concept which I cannot fathom. If you look younger than your age and you lie about it people will just think “oh, well there you go.” whereas if you tell your true age they will think “wow, you look good!” If you look your age (or, heaven forbid, older) and you lie people will think “my god, what a vain little idiot thinking we wouldn’t know.” but if you don’t lie people will think “oh, well there you go.” I just don’t see the up side of lying about your age. If you and the people you’re lying too care only about appearances you would be better by comparison if you look younger than your age, and no worse off if you look your age. If you don’t care about appearances (or if that is not all you care about) who cares how long you’ve been wandering around?
And another thing, why are so many people obsessed with birthday celebrations? Like it’s some big hallmark and there should always be a marking of the day. I like eating cake and getting presents as much as the next guy, but it’s not going to ruin my life if we just move on…
(Christmas is different; everyone should get presents on Christmas…)
This is the age that everyone seems to agree upon as being too old. For what, I don’t know. It seems expected that people lie about being forty. This is a concept which I cannot fathom. If you look younger than your age and you lie about it people will just think “oh, well there you go.” whereas if you tell your true age they will think “wow, you look good!” If you look your age (or, heaven forbid, older) and you lie people will think “my god, what a vain little idiot thinking we wouldn’t know.” but if you don’t lie people will think “oh, well there you go.” I just don’t see the up side of lying about your age. If you and the people you’re lying too care only about appearances you would be better by comparison if you look younger than your age, and no worse off if you look your age. If you don’t care about appearances (or if that is not all you care about) who cares how long you’ve been wandering around?
And another thing, why are so many people obsessed with birthday celebrations? Like it’s some big hallmark and there should always be a marking of the day. I like eating cake and getting presents as much as the next guy, but it’s not going to ruin my life if we just move on…
(Christmas is different; everyone should get presents on Christmas…)
Friday, July 28, 2006
The Modern League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
I was discussing Alan Moore's excellent League of Extraordinary Gentlemen with a friend. We were trying to come up with a modern incarnation of the league when we realized that limiting ourselves to the printed word was ignoring the fact that popular literature has been taken over by popular television.
The rules we used to populate this list were that each character must both be created (written) and live (set) in the last 50 years or so.
This is our group.
Gary Seven - Agent of Peace.
Mr. Seven was recruited and trained by alien beings and returned to Earth to protect us from ourselves, he has brought together the new league and gives them their assignments.
John Steed - Gentleman Spy.
The quintessentially British secret agent. He can accomplish more with a bowler, a bumbershoot, and a quick wit than others can with a Walther, a submarine car, and a licence to kill.
Willow Rosenberg - Powerful Wicca.
Familiar with the strange and horrific world most of us choose to ignore. Willow has been helping save the world since she was fifteen.
Colonel Steve Austin - Former Astronaut.
Barely alive after his experimental aircraft crashed, Steve was rebuilt at a cost of six million dollars.
Special Agent Dana Scully - Level headed seeker of truth.
Originally assigned to debunk the wild theories of Fox Mulder, Dana came to see the truth and fight the future planned for us by unseen conspirators.
Carl Kolchak - Investigator of the Macabre.
Never satisfied with official explanations doled out by PR cronies, Carl will get to the bottom of a story no matter who, or what, gets in his way.
The rules we used to populate this list were that each character must both be created (written) and live (set) in the last 50 years or so.
This is our group.
Gary Seven - Agent of Peace.Mr. Seven was recruited and trained by alien beings and returned to Earth to protect us from ourselves, he has brought together the new league and gives them their assignments.
John Steed - Gentleman Spy.The quintessentially British secret agent. He can accomplish more with a bowler, a bumbershoot, and a quick wit than others can with a Walther, a submarine car, and a licence to kill.
Willow Rosenberg - Powerful Wicca.Familiar with the strange and horrific world most of us choose to ignore. Willow has been helping save the world since she was fifteen.
Colonel Steve Austin - Former Astronaut.Barely alive after his experimental aircraft crashed, Steve was rebuilt at a cost of six million dollars.
Special Agent Dana Scully - Level headed seeker of truth.Originally assigned to debunk the wild theories of Fox Mulder, Dana came to see the truth and fight the future planned for us by unseen conspirators.
Carl Kolchak - Investigator of the Macabre.Never satisfied with official explanations doled out by PR cronies, Carl will get to the bottom of a story no matter who, or what, gets in his way.
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Do movie reviewers ever actually watch movies?
This past weekend I saw two movies. 'Lady in the Water' and 'My Super Ex-Girlfriend'.
They are both getting terrible reviews. But I must have seen different versions of these films than the ones shown to movie reviewers, as I enjoyed them both immensely.
Which prompts the question.
I believe much of the problem is that movie reviewers become jaded and grow to resent that which they once loved. (I refuse to think that someone who never liked movies would become a movie reviewer.) They learn the 'secrets' of the storytelling form and know what to expect at certain points in the narative. When they're right the film is predictable, when they're wrong the film is a directionless mess...
I truely believe that our local reviewer no longer truely watches new movies. He routinely gets plot elements wrong, misinterprets character motivations, and generally cannot be bothered to follow what's on the screen. However, if you get him while he's talking about an older film, his honest love of the medium comes out. He knows things! He knows the ins and outs of the cast, the director, the producers, and the details and history of the script. He can hold discourse about the intricate meanings of small passages of dialogue and the interplay of the characters. All this leads me to believe that he has seen too many movies and, knowing that they will not be the same, dismisses new films out of hand.
So if many, or most, reviewers are jaded old farts or snobbish young artistes out of step with the movie going public, why do we read their reviews? Well, every once in a while you may be able to distill some random information about the film from their viscious diratribes and superficial meanderings. But I believe it is more akin to a train wreck; no matter how horrible the scene, you simply must look. A friend of mine takes perverse pleasure in our local reviewers ability to infuriate him. Over and over again he will seek out and read the reviews just to cringe and deride the fact that the reviewer missed the point...
The truth of the matter is that the only persons opinion that matters is yours. Nobody can tell you what you like, you have to go see for yourself. But then you've already spent your money and waisted your time... and the movie reviewers job is based on the fiction that it dosen't have to be that way.
And in the end, the whole system is perpetuated by the simple, unavoidable fact that however distant and cynical a reviewer becomes, sometimes they're right.
They are both getting terrible reviews. But I must have seen different versions of these films than the ones shown to movie reviewers, as I enjoyed them both immensely.
Which prompts the question.
I believe much of the problem is that movie reviewers become jaded and grow to resent that which they once loved. (I refuse to think that someone who never liked movies would become a movie reviewer.) They learn the 'secrets' of the storytelling form and know what to expect at certain points in the narative. When they're right the film is predictable, when they're wrong the film is a directionless mess...
I truely believe that our local reviewer no longer truely watches new movies. He routinely gets plot elements wrong, misinterprets character motivations, and generally cannot be bothered to follow what's on the screen. However, if you get him while he's talking about an older film, his honest love of the medium comes out. He knows things! He knows the ins and outs of the cast, the director, the producers, and the details and history of the script. He can hold discourse about the intricate meanings of small passages of dialogue and the interplay of the characters. All this leads me to believe that he has seen too many movies and, knowing that they will not be the same, dismisses new films out of hand.
So if many, or most, reviewers are jaded old farts or snobbish young artistes out of step with the movie going public, why do we read their reviews? Well, every once in a while you may be able to distill some random information about the film from their viscious diratribes and superficial meanderings. But I believe it is more akin to a train wreck; no matter how horrible the scene, you simply must look. A friend of mine takes perverse pleasure in our local reviewers ability to infuriate him. Over and over again he will seek out and read the reviews just to cringe and deride the fact that the reviewer missed the point...
The truth of the matter is that the only persons opinion that matters is yours. Nobody can tell you what you like, you have to go see for yourself. But then you've already spent your money and waisted your time... and the movie reviewers job is based on the fiction that it dosen't have to be that way.
And in the end, the whole system is perpetuated by the simple, unavoidable fact that however distant and cynical a reviewer becomes, sometimes they're right.
Monday, July 10, 2006
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Arrr! Matey!!
My pirate name is:
Red Sam Rackham
Passion is a big part of your life, which makes sense for a pirate. You have the good fortune of having a good name, since Rackham (pronounced RACKem, not rack-ham) is one of the coolest sounding surnames for a pirate. Arr!
Get your own pirate name from fidius.org.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Frosty
From Wendy's
While I was a poor unemployed degenerate I was (obviously) forced to give up eating out.
I had forgotten the sublime chocolatey pleasure of the Wendy's Frosty desert drink. Now I get them a couple times a week.
I get one on my way into work (either by itself or with a Spicy Chicken Sandwich) the ride lets it melt a little, so by the time I am ready to partake it is partially liquified. The spoon is fine, and I do use it, but taking a long slooow drink of still chilled chocolate is mana from heaven. Espesially now that summer has officially begun, the cooling effect of the Frosty along with the perfection that is chocolate fills me with indescribable[sic] bliss...
You should try one.
While I was a poor unemployed degenerate I was (obviously) forced to give up eating out.
I had forgotten the sublime chocolatey pleasure of the Wendy's Frosty desert drink. Now I get them a couple times a week.
I get one on my way into work (either by itself or with a Spicy Chicken Sandwich) the ride lets it melt a little, so by the time I am ready to partake it is partially liquified. The spoon is fine, and I do use it, but taking a long slooow drink of still chilled chocolate is mana from heaven. Espesially now that summer has officially begun, the cooling effect of the Frosty along with the perfection that is chocolate fills me with indescribable[sic] bliss...
You should try one.
Saturday, June 17, 2006
It all finally shakes out
I forgot how much effort goes into living a real life.
During my six+ months of unemployment I got used to sitting on my duff all day (and all night) screwing around on the internet or watching TV. It is convenient to surf for job oportunities but reinforces a lazy attitude about scheduling...
Now that I am once again employed, I find myself with too few hours in the day. And this is only a part time job, imagine if I were trying to live around a real career!
The good news is that I am now beginning to get back into the swing of things, and manage my time better. No more pointless internet surfing (or at least not as much) ; )
Of course I am still supposedly looking for that 'career' job, but just now I feel there is enough on my plate. I never was one for thinking about the future.
Maybe I should think about that?
During my six+ months of unemployment I got used to sitting on my duff all day (and all night) screwing around on the internet or watching TV. It is convenient to surf for job oportunities but reinforces a lazy attitude about scheduling...
Now that I am once again employed, I find myself with too few hours in the day. And this is only a part time job, imagine if I were trying to live around a real career!
The good news is that I am now beginning to get back into the swing of things, and manage my time better. No more pointless internet surfing (or at least not as much) ; )
Of course I am still supposedly looking for that 'career' job, but just now I feel there is enough on my plate. I never was one for thinking about the future.
Maybe I should think about that?
Friday, May 26, 2006
Work Sucks
Irony, people! Can you dig it?
What really sucks is that my employer runs on a two week payment cycle, and I was hired at the beginning of the cycle. This means I have been working for two weeks already and we have just come to the end of the pay cycle... and administrative delays result in the actual payday being on the 5th!
That's right - two more weeks (about) before I get my first paycheck!!
Nothing like working for a month without pay...
What really sucks is that my employer runs on a two week payment cycle, and I was hired at the beginning of the cycle. This means I have been working for two weeks already and we have just come to the end of the pay cycle... and administrative delays result in the actual payday being on the 5th!
That's right - two more weeks (about) before I get my first paycheck!!
Nothing like working for a month without pay...
Thursday, May 18, 2006
JoyJob!
I have finally achieved the glory that is Gainful Employment!
I have been out of work for about six months, but that is all over now. My place of employment is actually the very same Library I was working in as a Student Worker. I technically took over the job of my old supervisor, even though the position is now part time...
Well it was part time when she started too, so maybe I'll be able to turn it back to full time.
And meanwhile ANYTHING is better than unemployment.
I have been out of work for about six months, but that is all over now. My place of employment is actually the very same Library I was working in as a Student Worker. I technically took over the job of my old supervisor, even though the position is now part time...
Well it was part time when she started too, so maybe I'll be able to turn it back to full time.
And meanwhile ANYTHING is better than unemployment.
Saturday, May 13, 2006
I am the LAW!!
...and as Shakespeare tells us; the law is an ass.
Last night I stayed up late (until about 11:00am) and therefore was asleep this afternoon when my friends called to see if we were going to game today. Because I was tired (read: sleeping) at the time and in kind of a funk over some recent issues with the game, (I seem to be running a different kind of game than my players want to play...) I wussed out and canceled the game.
I am a jerk.
I don't want to scrap this game as I have so many in the past, but I fear that we are not enjoying it as much as we should. And that is the reason we play these games in the first place; to have fun!
I am currently doing some soul searching about the direction I should be trying for and hopefully I can get myself back on track...
Last night I stayed up late (until about 11:00am) and therefore was asleep this afternoon when my friends called to see if we were going to game today. Because I was tired (read: sleeping) at the time and in kind of a funk over some recent issues with the game, (I seem to be running a different kind of game than my players want to play...) I wussed out and canceled the game.
I am a jerk.
I don't want to scrap this game as I have so many in the past, but I fear that we are not enjoying it as much as we should. And that is the reason we play these games in the first place; to have fun!
I am currently doing some soul searching about the direction I should be trying for and hopefully I can get myself back on track...
Saturday, May 6, 2006
You can't argue with a WebQuiz!
Your results:
You are Superman
Click here to take the Superhero Personality Quiz
You are Superman
| You are mild-mannered, good, strong and you love to help others.  |
Click here to take the Superhero Personality Quiz
Out of time
I owe my first payment on my student loans near the end of this month. I am, however, still unemployed!
This sucks, as you may imagine. I also have credit card bills which are accruing interest as I sit here applying for one position after another...
In the realm of good news; I am going to have another interview this week. This one is at the Eastern Virginia Medical School. I would be working in their campus library. It sounds like a very similar job to the one I had whilst a student, therefore I am particularly confident. It only pays a little more than what I was recieving then, but it is a full time position, so that's good.
Here's hopping!
This sucks, as you may imagine. I also have credit card bills which are accruing interest as I sit here applying for one position after another...
In the realm of good news; I am going to have another interview this week. This one is at the Eastern Virginia Medical School. I would be working in their campus library. It sounds like a very similar job to the one I had whilst a student, therefore I am particularly confident. It only pays a little more than what I was recieving then, but it is a full time position, so that's good.
Here's hopping!
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Nostalgia
I was playing around on Google Earth the other day and began looking at some of the places I was stationed durring my Navy days. In the areas of highest resolution I can usually pick out the house I lived in as well as a variety of locations around the base and some in the town.
Then I looked at Naval Recruit Training Center, San Diego - My Boot Camp. There seemed to be a lot of construction going on. Then one of those little 'i' messages caught my attention. I was informed by this message that RTC San Diego had been closed.
For some reason this made me very sad.
I don't have very many good memories of the place (it was boot camp after all), but I do remember some of the sailors I trained with and the sense of comradrie we shared. It brought back memories of my whole time in the Navy some of them good, and some of them bad.
I guess everybody feels it from time to time. Something sets you to remembering and even the memories of times you didn't enjoy living through make you a little wistful. Thats what nostalgia is about I guess, looking back and convincing yourself everything was better then.
In the (never was) good ol' days...
Then I looked at Naval Recruit Training Center, San Diego - My Boot Camp. There seemed to be a lot of construction going on. Then one of those little 'i' messages caught my attention. I was informed by this message that RTC San Diego had been closed.
For some reason this made me very sad.
I don't have very many good memories of the place (it was boot camp after all), but I do remember some of the sailors I trained with and the sense of comradrie we shared. It brought back memories of my whole time in the Navy some of them good, and some of them bad.
I guess everybody feels it from time to time. Something sets you to remembering and even the memories of times you didn't enjoy living through make you a little wistful. Thats what nostalgia is about I guess, looking back and convincing yourself everything was better then.
In the (never was) good ol' days...
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Now I have a webpage motherf*cker, Ho Ho Ho
I have recently gotten one of those free webpages...
I am Den... of Earth!
There isn't much by way of content, but there is a little.
I don't know what else I may put up there, as a free webpage there aren't a lot of options. Well, so much for my little self-serving blog entry (hey, aren't they all?)
By the way the title comes from 'Die Hard'
I am Den... of Earth!
There isn't much by way of content, but there is a little.
I don't know what else I may put up there, as a free webpage there aren't a lot of options. Well, so much for my little self-serving blog entry (hey, aren't they all?)
By the way the title comes from 'Die Hard'
Saturday, April 8, 2006
Proprietary Blogging?
A close friend of mine (
This act imparted two related concepts to me. Item number one: that it is possible to call 'dibs' on purely conceptual aspects of existence.
I have always thought of blogging as a fairly referential activity; that is, every blog is about something else. To my mind that 'something else' included other blogs. Everything was fair game and (with proper references) nobody could get too upset and go all 'territorial'.
That, obviously, is not the case.
Which brings us to item number two: I need to be more aggressive in claiming my blogging territory!
Therefore; from this day forward I place a claim on any and all aspects of my life, regardless of the presence or absence of other parties, which may be interpreted by those participating, observing, or learning of it by other means, as 'cool' 'keen', 'neat' or any reasonable derivitive thereof as the sole and continuing provenance of ME! Any violation of this claim, by any means whether intentional or otherwise shall be dealt with via bitch-slapping, legal action or both as deemed appropriate on a case by case basis.
Do you think that would stand up in 'Guy Court'?
(by the way, what's the expiration period on 'dibs'?)
This act imparted two related concepts to me. Item number one: that it is possible to call 'dibs' on purely conceptual aspects of existence.
I have always thought of blogging as a fairly referential activity; that is, every blog is about something else. To my mind that 'something else' included other blogs. Everything was fair game and (with proper references) nobody could get too upset and go all 'territorial'.
That, obviously, is not the case.
Which brings us to item number two: I need to be more aggressive in claiming my blogging territory!
Therefore; from this day forward I place a claim on any and all aspects of my life, regardless of the presence or absence of other parties, which may be interpreted by those participating, observing, or learning of it by other means, as 'cool' 'keen', 'neat' or any reasonable derivitive thereof as the sole and continuing provenance of ME! Any violation of this claim, by any means whether intentional or otherwise shall be dealt with via bitch-slapping, legal action or both as deemed appropriate on a case by case basis.
Do you think that would stand up in 'Guy Court'?
(by the way, what's the expiration period on 'dibs'?)
Thursday, April 6, 2006
Countries I have visited.
create your own visited country map
A Map of the Countries I have visited.
create your personalized map of europe
And a close up of Europe...
Thursday, March 16, 2006
Away Game
A friend of mine, who we'll call Keith (because that's his name), has gone out of town. He and his family went to the aid of his grandmother in Carolina. His family plans to return on Monday but he will be staying indefinitely. This has put a large hole in my social life. Not only is he an integral part of our Role-Playing Games, but he and I go to movies and generally hang out together. So now I must come up with ways to entertain myself!
Richard, Keith's brother Nick, and I will still try to do our once weekly RPG session, but we will have to find some way to explain the absence of Keith's characters or start yet another ongoing campaign. (we have over a dozen unresolved games hanging over our heads just now)
None of this is meant to be a recrimination against Keith, I fully understand that when family needs you, you should be there. I'm just listing all the ways I will miss him and hope circumstances allow him to return soon.
Tonight is the premiere of 'V for Vendetta', I am trying to replace Keith as the coordinator of the movie gang which is a much wider net than the RPG gang. It's tough getting in contact with everyone and syncronizing schedules. We'll see how this goes...
Richard, Keith's brother Nick, and I will still try to do our once weekly RPG session, but we will have to find some way to explain the absence of Keith's characters or start yet another ongoing campaign. (we have over a dozen unresolved games hanging over our heads just now)
None of this is meant to be a recrimination against Keith, I fully understand that when family needs you, you should be there. I'm just listing all the ways I will miss him and hope circumstances allow him to return soon.
Tonight is the premiere of 'V for Vendetta', I am trying to replace Keith as the coordinator of the movie gang which is a much wider net than the RPG gang. It's tough getting in contact with everyone and syncronizing schedules. We'll see how this goes...
Wednesday, March 1, 2006
Please sir. I want a job...
I am currently in the application pipeline for a Communications Officer I position here in Virginia Beach. I have already passed the preliminary testing (can you hear, can you type?) and today I went before the interview panel. The panel was three senior Communications Officers and they asked me a series of questions about my attitude and qualifications for the job. I believe it went well, but I wont find out officially until the begining of April! If I am hired I will begin employment in mid May!! (life at the speed of government...) There will be 10-12 weeks of official training then a year of probationary on-the-job training, but pay and benifits begin right away.
The board went well. My zen-like calm exuded a level of confidence which was almost entirely fictional. I didn't come up against any questions for which I had no answer, but I did think of a killer answer to one of them on the way home... Hopefully my reaching/weak answer wasn't a deal breaker. I tend to ramble and move off on tangents in conversation but I think I shut myself up early enough durring most of the questions. The board was scheduled for a maximum of one hour and I took about a half-hour. (is that good?)
I honestly do look forward to getting this job, and not just because it is the only job I have applied for which has deigned to grant me an interview. I don't think I could be a cop, firefighter or EMT but I do like the idea of helping people.
The board went well. My zen-like calm exuded a level of confidence which was almost entirely fictional. I didn't come up against any questions for which I had no answer, but I did think of a killer answer to one of them on the way home... Hopefully my reaching/weak answer wasn't a deal breaker. I tend to ramble and move off on tangents in conversation but I think I shut myself up early enough durring most of the questions. The board was scheduled for a maximum of one hour and I took about a half-hour. (is that good?)
I honestly do look forward to getting this job, and not just because it is the only job I have applied for which has deigned to grant me an interview. I don't think I could be a cop, firefighter or EMT but I do like the idea of helping people.
Friday, January 27, 2006
Going on the Dole
As my English friends say...
AKA welfare, or more accurately Unemployment Insurance.
I have decided to apply for money from the government. This is not going to be very much, if I even qualify. It should be enough to keep me in bath soap and hair cuts and keep me from needing to sponge off my friends quite so much. I got the paperwork today and should easily have it sent back in my Monday.
On another topic I recently saw the movie "The New World". I did not expect to like it, but I did. The direction is very odd; the film consists of a series of establishing shots and transitional shots interupted by a sparce sampling of 'scenes' - some of which contained actual dialog! All that being as it is the film is enjoyable to watch, not least because of the sheer beauty of the vistas presented. The story is also well served by the languid pacing and the heavy use of narration by the characters. It gave me the feeling of being truely privy to the 'inner lives' of these people.
Once again it is an unusual but unexpectedly enjoyable film.
(I seem to be turning this blog into a movie review site...)
AKA welfare, or more accurately Unemployment Insurance.
I have decided to apply for money from the government. This is not going to be very much, if I even qualify. It should be enough to keep me in bath soap and hair cuts and keep me from needing to sponge off my friends quite so much. I got the paperwork today and should easily have it sent back in my Monday.
On another topic I recently saw the movie "The New World". I did not expect to like it, but I did. The direction is very odd; the film consists of a series of establishing shots and transitional shots interupted by a sparce sampling of 'scenes' - some of which contained actual dialog! All that being as it is the film is enjoyable to watch, not least because of the sheer beauty of the vistas presented. The story is also well served by the languid pacing and the heavy use of narration by the characters. It gave me the feeling of being truely privy to the 'inner lives' of these people.
Once again it is an unusual but unexpectedly enjoyable film.
(I seem to be turning this blog into a movie review site...)
Saturday, January 7, 2006
Munich
I recently saw this movie.
It is fantastic!
It is graphic and honest, and a great depiction of the weight of doing horrible things for the 'right' reasons on a person.
It actually has a somewhat limited 'message' in that it sparks thought and discussion rather than fist pumping rightiousness...
Although it does seem to lean slightly in the direction of the Israelis. (probably because it is hard to be honest while portraying them as the bad guys)
(I also couldn't help but think: "them palistinians are toast, they're going up against Julius Caesar, The Incredible Hulk, and the new James Bond...)
It is fantastic!
It is graphic and honest, and a great depiction of the weight of doing horrible things for the 'right' reasons on a person.
It actually has a somewhat limited 'message' in that it sparks thought and discussion rather than fist pumping rightiousness...
Although it does seem to lean slightly in the direction of the Israelis. (probably because it is hard to be honest while portraying them as the bad guys)
(I also couldn't help but think: "them palistinians are toast, they're going up against Julius Caesar, The Incredible Hulk, and the new James Bond...)
Friday, January 6, 2006
ME!
I know you've all been dying to know what I look like...
Here is a picture of me from a few years ago. I still have the glasses, but alas the beard did not survive... Sad really.
Wednesday, January 4, 2006
Paranoia will Destroy Ya!
Your Social Dysfunction: Paranoid You show pervasive and unwarranted suspiciousness, and mistrust of others. You are overly sensitive and prone to jealousy. |
Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com
Please note that we aren't, nor do we claim to be, psychologists. This quiz is for fun and entertainment only. Try not to freak out about your results.
Argh! I took an online quiz and it destroyed my self esteem...
Sunday, January 1, 2006
Holiday
I hope everyone had a grand holiday season. (whatever holiday you choose to celibrate...)
This was probably the most mediocre Christmas for me in quite a while, maybe forever.
I am still out of work (that library position didn't pan out) and my father was forced to retire this year, so I got virtually nothing and couldn't give anyone anything either.
That being said it wasn't a total washout, I still got to spend quality time with the people who matter most in my life and I am far from being on the street. My father is still alive and getting better. I also still have good friends and we get to see each other pretty much whenever we want.
There is much to be thankful for this year and I remain optomistic. If I could get a decent job I believe that would turn things around and put everything in the plus column.
Happy New Year everybody!
This was probably the most mediocre Christmas for me in quite a while, maybe forever.
I am still out of work (that library position didn't pan out) and my father was forced to retire this year, so I got virtually nothing and couldn't give anyone anything either.
That being said it wasn't a total washout, I still got to spend quality time with the people who matter most in my life and I am far from being on the street. My father is still alive and getting better. I also still have good friends and we get to see each other pretty much whenever we want.
There is much to be thankful for this year and I remain optomistic. If I could get a decent job I believe that would turn things around and put everything in the plus column.
Happy New Year everybody!
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