Reacquaint yourself with The Land

It has been some years since I last re-read The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever. With all of the much deserved accolades for Peter Jacksons adaptation of The Lord of the Rings, I have been getting more and more thirsty for getting back to the world that, to me, was much more poignant and vital than Middle-Earth ever was. To me, T.C.O.T.C.T.U. was the first alternate world that I felt a part of.
Likely this is due to the fact that I started reading these books as a teenager and so they really made an impact. And the fact that I read Thomas Covenant BEFORE reading LOTR means that The Land has a more firm hold on my imagination then Middle Earth. Although I have come to Love M.E. quite a lot...I yearn to travel to Kevin's Watch, and walk thru the Andelainian Hills, and to see the Council of The Lords...sigh. It is not likely to happen however. For even though these books (six in all) were on the bestseller list when they were published, they haven't garnered anywhere near the worldwide popularity of LOTR.
Still, I feel better for having posted my thoughts on this here. In fact, if you stumble across my Blog for some really wierd reason, you may want to check out this website: Kevins Watch

Until the urge takes over again, I remain your humble servant.

Ain't this a kick in the pants...I am a God!


Athena


?? Which Of The Greek Gods Are You ??
brought to you by Quizilla

And...after surfing a little bit more on the site that I found the Douglas Adams Quotes, I found the main site to be very interesting indeed! I had no idea that this place even existed...I urge people to look around there and see some things that may disturb you, but will also make you think. And in my opinion, THINKING is the key factor here. Whether there is anything there that makes you change your mind about something or not, what is being said here is a thought-provoking message.
I will let you decide for yourselves...
Positive Atheism

Big Thought: A Theory By Steven Goldstein

Big Thought: A Theory By Steven Goldstein

God created the universe and the life within it for the sole purpose of having it work to find solutions to problems that God is unable to discover on his own.

Just as we say, "Two heads are better than one", so it is logical that billions and trillions and more minds in the universe have more of a chance to discover the answers or "ultimate truth", if you will, then does even God's mind, vast and all-knowing as it may seem to us to be.

Just as people on earth whom we consider to be the most intelligent will create and execute experiments in order to learn an answer or prove/disprove a theory, So has God created the universe and everything in it as exactly such an experiment. Think: "Big Thought" the super computer in Douglas Adam's "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" that was created to answer the Ultimate Question of Life the Universe and Everything.


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And, speaking of Douglas Adams...


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When will I learn?
I have to get my life a bit more organized, but I don't know how to start? Every time I see a mess that needs to be dealt with, and I try to do it, a DIFFERENT mess in a DIFFERENT room grabs my attention. Then, there are all the normal distractions that happen when I am at home...oh, hell. When will I learn?

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It's amazing what you find when you look. You don't have to be looking for anything in particular, just looking. I want you all to do yourselves a favor. Go here and read about this amazing girl, Alex. Don't skimp on your review. Soak it in. Take it home with you. As I have...

Go here and read this man's page. You can thank me later... http://www.wilwheaton.net./

I have found the most amazing site. It's a collection of love letters submitted anonymously by people all over the Web called The Love Letter Collection. I don't know what else to say but that you really owe it to yourself to read these letters. Trust me.
On another note, I want to point all of my loyal listeners to the Black Citadel which is owned by a very close personal friend of mine, The High Lord Mhoram. I guess if we bounce our blogs off of each other we can keep ourselves running around in circles long enough to entertain each other...Well. That was the thought anyway. Moo.

X2 Kicks some serious butt! I was very careful to avoid learning anything about the plot prior to seeing the movie so it was all pretty much unfolding as the storyteller...er, the director wanted it to for me. Well, I HAD been to the web site and looked at the production stills that were posted. And I knew that there was an attack on Xaviers school, but that was all I really knew and it didn't spoil anything for me. But the thing that got me was the fact that this movie, just as the first one did, ends with that feeling of another story that must be told. Just like the comics always leave you hanging til the next issue, only that is a month, and THIS is about 2 years to wait! GAH!! I hate it when they do that!! I know that the Matrix is gonna end that way too, but I ALSO know that the final film in that trilogy will be released within 6 months so we won't have to kill anyone while we are waiting!
There were some really cool previews last night too. I am now officially excited about seeing "The Hulk". The first few times I saw what Hulk looked like, I was thinking I wouldn't like him that much, but having seen more in the preview, I am SOLD!
Hmm...what other previews were there? Matrix, of course. And yes, that is on the top of my "must see" list too. Hmmm...Dumb and Dumberer is RIGHT OUT. I never saw the first one, and have no desire to see it. There is a new Harrison Ford film that looks like it could go either way...Another Action/Comedy with Harrison as a seasoned police detective being teamed up with a rookie or a wannabe or something contrived...I think it's Josh Harshnet. Well, that's really all I can remember about the preview. I think I'll catch it on DVD.

I don't know how to say this any other way so I will just come right out with it. I have downloaded music from John Denver...and I am LISTENING to it as I type this. And I LIKE it! Can you believe that? Well, truth to tell, it is not that I am ashamed of this. In fact, I also enjoy the musical stylings of Barry Manilow...I'll have to hit Kazaa for him too. (Hey, Mhoram, where is that Eight-Sider??)

Today was a rather interesting and busy day for me. I started it off doing cardio at the gym (spinning…my ass hurts!) and then met my friend for lunch. We used to do lunch together almost every week, but things were conspiring against that for about the past month. So today we got to sit outside in the gorgeous weather and catch up a little bit on things. After lunch I decided to continue my quest for a new computer desk for my bedroom. I actually had very little hope of finding a suitable desk as I had some pretty stringent requirements that I honestly thought I wouldn’t be able to meet and still stay in my acceptable price range. Imagine my surprise when I learned that Wal-Mart actually had 2 desks that fit the bill. I had looked at Wal-mart in the past, and I KNOW that this wasn’t there before. Must be fate, eh? So I decided to buy the desk that included a 3 shelf bookrack as part of the deal. There was only a $10. difference, so why not get the most bang for the buck.

When I got home I decided to assemble it right away…no point in procrastinating! (That, buy the way was sarcasm of the highest order!)
Well, I forgot that I had an appointment to have the exterminator come by and spray the house and yard. So that cut into the assembly time…as well as allowing him to confirm that I had a bee problem (again…happened about 2 years ago, which is when I found this guy in the first place.) So, he sprayed the house and yard and said he would try to return tonight to do the bees. (that has to be done after sunset to ensure that the entire hive is back home. No point only getting SOME of the little critters!)

Well, when all was done with the desk assembly, it was about 4 ½ hours later! After 9PM! And I STILL had to do grocery shopping because I was basically out of food at this point!

Ah, well. There is more to the story of my day, but my fingers are cramping from all this typing!

I tried to post something the other day...but then something happened, and I didn't post because of it. So I am trying this again today. Not that what I am gonna say is going to be worth reading as such...but it will keep my fingers active as I type it out. There. I did it. Now what?

which art movement are you?

this quiz was made by Caitlin

"Baroque Art emerged in Europe around 1600 as an reaction against the intricate and formulaic Mannerist style which dominated the Late Renaissance." (artcyclopedia.com.) Baroque Art is fairly realistic but is often willing to smudge the realism in favor of theatricality and the emotional pull that is its trademark. You're most likely a creative, talented emotional person who likes attention. Although it could all just be a show.
Famous Baroquers (there are lots): Rembrandt, Rubens, Caravaggio, and You.

Thanks goes out to Jennifer at Nonsense-Verse my lateset inspiration to continue blogging. Maybe, someday, I'll be as good at this as she is!

My thoughts and condolences are with the friends and families of the crew of the Space Shuttle Columbia who were lost this morning.
And also they are with everyone at NASA who are dealing with the sudden tragedy that struck out of the blue, stealing friends family members from them as well.
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I wish that I had words that we eloquent and fitting enough to capture my feelings about this tragedy. I recall where I was on that day in 1986 when the Challenger was lost during take off. I remember where I was on 9/11/01 when I learned of the WTC. I will add today to my list of days remembered for tragedy. If only I was able to remember with as much clarity the days of joy and happiness. I do remember the day I first met the girl who would steal my heart. I remember the first time we kissed about 4 years later, and I remember the day she told me she Loved me. I need to remember these things and hold them closer to my heart then the tragedies I endure. That is the secret to survival. And to whoever reads this I say to you: Keep heart. There are great things in this world.


If you don't believe me...take a look in the Mirror.
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16:36
Shortly after I posted my own thoughts I received this from a close friend. His are words of eloquence that I want to preserve and so I post them here now.
Thank you Mike.

--Another Moment of Hell--

We have lost another crew of heroes today.
We have watched another smoky flower bloom, leaving behind a trail of pollen that will engender questioning and lies, that will bring fear, sadness, distrust, and horror.
How many of you already feel betrayal, by God or by fellow man? Or just by fickle fate that whimsically reminds us of our fragility? The things that insulate us from the source of our fire sometimes break us, burn us with that fire to leave nothing but streaks of ash and bits of broken shell.

But out of that fire, from that broken shell, always another phoenix must arise. Never can we let ourselves be frightened from our path, washed from it by tears of grief or heat of anger--To be kept by accident from filling the empty void with our dreams and our lives.

It is a tragedy of proportions, not an epidemic of disasters. Because there are so few flights and machines do we take such sad note. Yet, if we compare to the number of cars or even planes, it is not such a great amount of destruction and loss of these things.

But it is a great amount of destruction of our hopes, and loss of our dreams. But because there are so few flights, machines, people to do this daring thing--of exiting the air and diving again back into it's fire--it is a tragedy, of human proportions.

--Michael Elliott
(a.k.a. Amberwolf)

This is dedicated to those who died for Columbia's phoenix, this first day of the second month of the third year of our new millenium:
-Shuttle commander Rick D. Husband
-Pilot William C. McCool
-Payload Commander Michael P. Anderson
-Mission Specialist David M. Brown
-Mission Specialist Kalpana Chawla
-Mission Specialist Laurel Clark
-Israel's first astronaut, Ilan Ramon

I know...I know...too much time has passed between entries to make this a really great Blog...but I never promised that the postings would be very frequent. Good thing too, huh?
Normally I would maintain the thought that it's not a big deal. I have no illusions that anyone other then myself has ever read these postings. But just today I encountered a blog that made me realize that there IS a possibility that someone MIGHT read this and have thoughts/comments about what has been said here. I have to give you the address to it so you can check it out yourself! It's called Nonsense Verse.
The author impressed me so much that I sent her an email to tell her "thank you". I know that doesn't seem to be a big deal, but for me it is. Just the fact that I sent her an email that is irretrievable means that I have taken a step that could change my life! Think I am reading a bit too much into a random email sent to a person that I don't know? Well, I do too. But that still doesn't change my opinion that it could happen! So...I'll tell you what. If I get a response that is worth repeating, I will let you know about it!