Odd Dreams and Things

Usually I dream vividly last night this was very true of my dream. I am not sure how to interprets said dreams, I'm not even sure if I want to. The first one should never come true, though I woke up this morning with a distinct feeling it already had, thus I shall be doing some research later about that. The second one if it comes true ever I'll be laughing wherever I am when it does. So if you are near me in 30 years or so (whenever Enterprise type ships become real so I probably will be dead), and I start to spontaneously laugh it is because somewhere out there a captain has a wimp for a son and one of the other kids on the ship forces him to get a tattoo to show his manliness and he gets 42 tattooed on his shoulder by some hot nerdy chick on the ship.

It has been a while

I know I know I've been missing for a while here is the reason. I just got into a new relationship, the semester just ended so I want to hang out with my friends/family, and tis the season to be busy!

Short and sweet story:
I went with my bf to see Avatar in 3D, all I have to say is "Oh my GOD that was amazing!" Visually it was like being there (almost, just not being allowed to touch anything, trust me I would specially some of those plants). Pandora is a botanists wet dream. Pandora is an evolutionists wet dream (I still don't think some of those things would evolve like that in a low gravity planet, though it would have to be low gravity for the Hallelujah Mountains to work right). Basically saying my suspension of disbelief died a few times while watching Avatar. It is still curled up in a ball whimpering something about pony tails. /shrug

Next short and not so sweet:
I went with my best friend to see "The Road" I did not go into this movie unprepared. I read the book back before I knew it was going to be made into a movie. When I heard that they were making a movie I nearly started crying then and there because I would actually see what I had barely imagined (to protect my fragile mind). The night I went to see Avatar I saw The Road listed as a playing movie, I about leaped out of my skin (not sure if it was out of happiness or not) and asked my bf if he minded skipping Avatar, we obviously didn't so I went the next day with neinone instead. I gave him a warning, and told him most of the plot, and promised Ice Cream at the end of it.

They did such a good job keeping to the story line, nothing was added only a few of the worst scenes were taken away, and the ones that didn't really matter. Visually it was almost exactly what I had imagined, maybe a little bit cleaner. The trees seemed more abundant than I gave the book when I read it. A nice layer of ash covered everything. A few things to say, if you don't like the idea of cannibalism don't watch the movie (or read the book, especially don't read the book). If you think you can stomach that but not Viggo Mortenson emaciated and naked then don't watch it. It is depressing because it is a post apocalyptic world. Tissues are not necessary, unless you cry really easy (I do and didn't need the tissue, maybe because I was expected it but I don't think that is why).

Next week about Thursday or Wednesday night I will be back from traveling and I'll post again (maybe with a review on Sherlock Holmes).

Trick or Treating: A life long lesson

I know it is December, not the time to be thinking about Halloween, but I am. I'm not thinking about Halloween itself but what it teaches us. I realized the other day that trick or treating is actually a life lesson disguised behind tradition and a mask. When we are young we go around knocking on strangers doors asking them for candy. We bounce on the balls of our feet while our parents make sure there isn't a needle or anything in our candy, which always seemed like a random acts of violence that never made much sense. If you are going to hurt someone, don't you want to see them in pain? Not the point though. After we get the all clear and binge on that sugary goodness we get sick. Our stomachs get very angry with us and we spend the next day rather sad. We still going tick or treating the next year though, but maybe this year we don't eat as much candy. Each year we get better and better about it until we eat a few pieces and then forget about the rest of the candy for most of the year.

How is this a lesson? We learn moderation. We learn that sometimes being a glutton is probably a really bad idea. How does this translate into our adult lives making it a life long lesson? It doesn't translate perfectly, but we have learned our limits for sugar. Later in life we turn 21 and drink for the first time. Some people remember this lesson from candy and drink heavily one or two times learning our limit for alcohol and then we are good. Or we don't even try to find our limit, we just enjoy a light drink here and there and are happy with that.

Moderation in everything, including moderation. The Greeks were hedonists, but they knew when the time was right to be a hedonist. They enjoyed life. That's the whole point. Being upset all the time does not make a good life, you need to enjoy the little things (in the words of Tallahassee) because someday that's all you may have. Are those moments of shear abandonment of our inhibitions when we just enjoy what is going on around us in that very moment. "Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. But today is a gift. That's why it's called the present"

So we enjoy those pieces of candy (or glasses of wine) because life isn't meant to be taken sitting down. Stand up and shout for joy! Play in the rain (even if you break out in hives *sweatdrop*) Because that moment may be your last of smiling. Life is a wheel and you never know when you'll be on the bottom.

Nothing to talk about

I have nothing to talk about tonight for some reason so instead I decided to post this rather hilarious site for you entertainment! Enjoy!

http://ssshotaru.homestead.com/files/aolertranslator.html

It's how a 12 year-old AOL would talk with whatever you put in on the top box. Thank you Lucas Longley for your brilliance.

On essay writting and love

As an English major I write a lot of essays. I've never been one that likes to go too deep into a subject, I like just brushing it enough to get the reader thinking, but as I have gone farther and farther in my career as a student I have had to write increasingly complex essays. Today I'm working on one about Middlemarch by George Eliot, specifically about the choices made by two characters, Dorothea and Rosamond. As I work on it I get more and more into the Psyche of the two characters and the more they annoy me. This makes me realize why I don't like some of the characters of the books I've written. It isn't because they are bad people it is because they make stupid decisions based off of false assumptions. For the same reason I am increasingly disliking Dorothea and Rosamond. Both of them are rather dense at times with what they do. Both married stupidly, not even for love but for something they wanted out of the other person. Dorothea for bettering herself and to gain knowledge previously inaccessible to her. Rosamond marries for status. Both do not get what they anticipated from their marriages because neither of them actually looked at the marriage before them. Status does not equate with money, and acting as Milton's daughters to Milton to Casaubon is not a happy existence.

What does this lack of thinking when marriage for life is on the line mean? It means that even though they messed up with their marriages they have no hope of ever fixing it until their husband dies. Modern day saves people from that, but it looks to me as if just as many people are making bad choices with their marriages and now they don't have to wait for their partner to kick it. Do people just walk blindly into marriage? Why would you do that to yourself? You hurt yourself and the person you are with and if you have kids them too! Yes people can change as your marriage progress that is what is happening to my parents, but they've been married almost 39 years (since Dec 19, 1970). My father is certifiably insane (not kidding he has been diagnosed with bi-polar disorder) but my mother stands by him steadfastly. She loves him still and refuses to leave him, despite my sister and I talking to her about it.

Where did that kind of love go? There doesn't seem to be any relationships these days that will end in the two walking hand in hand gray haired through the park in the fall with the leaves falling around them. Morality has changed over the years. We've lost the loyalty that people used to have for one another. There used to be a thing called honor, it has been deserted for apathy. The Beatles once said "all you need is love" that isn't true you also need loyalty and honor. Now we have lust and apathy.

Maybe I'm thinking like this because I recently broke up with someone I could see myself old and gray and laughing with in 50 or 60 years, we still will be though because we still love each other, we are still loyal to each other in our friendship. Just because we disagreed on children does not keep us from loving and caring for one another. Yet old friends, high school sweethearts leave each other with daggers in their eyes and poison on their lips unable to do that one of the most important thing God ever asks us to do, forgive. Not forget, but forgive.

Well back to my essay now, I've still got to get through what stupid mistakes Rosamond makes in her life. Here's to a life built around intelligent choices not desires.

New Years Resolution

I know this is a month early but today I decided that I was going to break an addiction I've had for seven years. In 2007 for lint (I don't think that's the right one) I tried to break it. I failed miserably. This new year I'm going to quit using chapstick (Burt's Bees brand) and I'm going to do this intelligently. I'm going to start by switching to a different chapstick. One that is natural, I have a hemp one that I'll probably start with. Then I'll switch to a petroleum based chapstick. Each day I'll use it less and less until I finally stop using it.

I'll post regularly about how it is going because this is something that is big in my life. If you ever seen me in real life you would understand. My friends have seen me regularly apply chapstick for years. They sometimes say things about how bad it is. This Thanksgiving though I really had a wake up call.

My ex's roommate is more addicted than me. He wears his on a lanyard that his girlfriend has to convince him to take off when they have sex. I thought about how bad I am and realized I sleep with my chapstick too. Right in my pillow. I think this habit is unhealthy enough that here goes everything I've got. I'm going to do it. I'm going to quite using chapstick.

Wish me luck!