A very random thought. In one part based on the posit that orgasm is a moment of complete union with the self, that is, analagous in a way to a moment of samadhi, if one is so inclined to look up the Sanskrit. In a second part, based on how one taking anti-depressants might find it difficult to achieve orgasm. So I'm conjecturing that while the anti-depressant medication may treat the symptoms and even the physical cause, perhaps (besides or on top of just hindering it in some physical way) the medication also acts as a handicap to or diversion from the psychological and emotional side of things, and may hinder that 'union' in its own way. Or, looking back at all that, maybe I'm just talking out of my ass.

If you know me, you know I'd get a kick out of this-
"BEIJING (Reuters) -- More than 240 army dental experts from 25 countries are meeting in northern China to brush up on cavities of war and weapons of mass infection at the 2006 World Military Dental Congress." - that, and the headline was "World army dentists build bridges" - ha!

If I ever end up having me a daughter, I'm going to make sure to learn her some history - specifically, about bad-ass women. Now, I have to note, as much as the title of that implies soldiering, many of those were more strong and intelligent in terms of politics or familial matters or just strength of character, which I'm really more concerned with.

So while I'm having fun with neologisms, I might as well extend that into my own personal jargon, and make up the term 'world dream.' That is, every once in a while, under certain circumstances - falling asleep with the lights on in my face, in my jeans, with no AC on, dehydrated, sunburned, and in an odd position, as in last night, as a general example - I'll have a particular kind of dream. I'm calling it a 'world dream' because it has this quality wherein it seems to exist in a setting that is independent of me. I'll wake up and fall asleep several times over the course of a night, and just keep returning to the same, surreal 'world.' Now, in this particular kind of dream, it really does feel like a setting in some story, with its own rules, and culture, and sense of 'place.' Kind of interesting, but mostly unpleasant in the end because of the discomfort of the things that bring up that kind of protracted, multi-falling asleep/waking up kind of dreaming.

Random quote of the day! [I'm italicizing the part I particularly found interesting]
"The contents of the mental stream are not as important as the consciousness that knows them. The mind softens in meditation through the assumption of a particular mental posture called 'bare attention,' in which impartial, nonjudgmental awareness is trained on whatever there is to observe. Problems are not distinguished from solutions; the mind learns how to be with ambiguity."

Guest post from Ms. Connie, in reference to Farscape, for anyone who might appreciate it!
"Rygel's like the saddest character ever. They make him like a cartoon, but he's actually really really sad. I mean, it's the deposed King thing times 20. Because he was both hot and powerful in Hyneria, and he's little and ugly and disgusting on the ship. The crew members treat him kind of like a bad pet...and he responds by acting that way a lot of the time. But it's always ok to insult him, to manhandle him, and to say things to him that they'd never dream of saying to--oh, Chiana--who's like him in nearly every way except her exterior. He's been on the ship the longest, but no one really mentions that. Granted, he's kind of a coward and a wimp, but there's also no one on the ship who would back him up. Everyone else gets love interests, and he doesn't (though granted a muppet love scene would have been odd) Anyway, I feel bad for the little guy. He just wants to be like Zhaan paints him...like a king."

-interesting quote from novel I'm reading:
"She watched the machine-slaves drift to and fro, and observed the way the women edited their servants from their world: they never looked directly at them, never spoke to them. They ignored their very existence, and yet depended entirely upon it."
I think the use of the word 'edit' within that is particularly interesting in regards to the idea of 'stories that we tell ourselves,' as in either the yoga idea of such or in a de Lintian sense (I'm making up a word, damnit, nothing you can do about it!), though I think Ms. Connie could explain the pracitical idea of it best, if you're interested.

-article on intuition/gut instinct

things of note addendum! (it was a dense weekend):
-there are lots of pretty animals at a dog show....and lots of funny looking people, apparently
-always, and I mean always, take the most pictures of your girlfriend's mom's dog, even if he's not being shown...on pain of...uh...well, not hearing the end of it, heh
-a burger made with red wine is okay; I wouldn't say spectacular, or even that different than a regular burger, though
-for the love of whatever gods, when outside for an entire weekend wear sunscreen...no, Scott, not like how our track coach used to say it, thank you...ew
-in Phoenix one can get a sub that is basically a Thanksgiving dinner in sammich-form, though the franchise in question apparently started in Delaware, I hear

woo Zen mondo!
"A monk asked T'ou-tzu: 'All sounds are the sounds of Buddha, right?'
'Right,' said T'ou-tzu.
The monk then said: 'Then master, doesn't your bottom make farting sounds?'
T'ou-tzu hit him. But, undaunted, the monk continued, 'Whether talk is coarse or subtle, all returns to the primary meaning, right or wrong?'
'Right,' T'ou-tzu said.
The monk said: 'Then can I call you a donkey?'
T'ou-tzu hit him again."

things of note on the (dog show) weekend!
-when getting into Prescott late at night, make sure you see the sign...and don't drive all the way to Flagstaff. In other news, Natalie the Eclipse apparently has great highway mileage, Tucson to Flagstaff to Prescott with gas to spare
-funny how a baseball diamond in the middle of nowhere can develop its own little ecosystem, complete with ginormous grasshoppers (I kind of wanted to fry one up) and that same green spider I still don't know a name for
-dogs can come in 'small horse' size - it occured to me that if an Irish wolfhound wanted to casually bite my heart out of my chest, it wouldn't have to jump up, but probably rather bend down
-I didn't really believe it, but yeah I can see sharpei as fighters, what with the wrinkles and the overly pugnacious-bastard 'tudes
-Kim's mom wins for most-violentest-threats-ever - which seem to somehow be augmented by her nice English accent
-where else could you hear, "Work that bitch!" said with a completely straight face, and also have it be completely appropriate?
-vaguely tangentially, I've not seen so much adroitness at going so quickly from polite and even enthusiastic encouragement and sportsmanship to hissed backbiting and trashtalking and back as soon as a person in question is back in earshot
-Prescott to me is an odd combination of Colorado Springs, Fairbanks, and Anchorage

Double Eagle, by Dan Abnett. Well, it's a novel, by Abnett, so I really don't have to say more, but I will. As usual, the 40k setting is used to its fullest - utilizing the shared setting as well as adding plenty of original thought, as well it should be used. I'll note the interesting use of Herbert-style perspective shifts, which only a skilled author can really pull off (ie, even within mid-sentence at times). This is one of his novels, is another thing I should note, wherein it's more of an epic (with multiple, connected plotlines/characters) than one of his more closely focused novels. And his aerial combat scenes are just as cinematic and exciting as his more traditional action. Gush, gush, etc. Beer and pretzel scifi with lovely characters and a fast, engaging plot.

"The hardest part is cleaning the fur out of the damn rotor blades." Huh. Apparently, Phil says it's real.

Eris will be the tenth planet, eh? Hmph. Well, I suppose it'll offer more fun for hard science fiction authors (say, like in Ian McDonald's Terminal Cafe or the latter part of Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy, or several of David Brin's short stories, or that one semi-famous book Bloom, eh, I could go on), and I suppose its moon does have a pretty cool sounding name.

So, watching how apparent it is that dogs react to body language and tonal things, it gets me thinking. Esoterically, in Frank Herbert's Dune novels (yes, I will keep returning to those, I did my bloody thesis on the first one) there's the idea of 'Voice,' wherein through creating a certain tonal effect in one's voice, one would be able to address another person's subconscious, as opposed to their conscious - so, in effect, insta-hypnosis of sorts. The only way one would be able to confront such a thing would be to have enough introspective knowledge and self-awareness, and the discipline necessary for such, to be comfortable with one's own unconscious - meaning that the average person, who has no care for such a practice, would be horribly susceptible to Voice.

Anyway, so I begin to wonder how much people are affected by body language and tone, without realizing it (and whether being comfortable with or having trained one's unconscious can affect that). The only practical example I can think of was from that women's self-defense workshop we just put on - it really is almost unnerving to realize that if one backs up and just assertively puts their hands up and out, palms forward, it can totally defuse another person's aggresion/dominance (and be a nice offensive position to boot, but that's besides the point). Whereas if one stands their ground and brings fists up, the natural reaction is to think 'ohhh, that's it' and the fight's on.

Or, the standard quintessential aikido principal - yeah, if you slam a strike at someone's face, they're going to react, even if just by flinching. But if you casually drift a hand up, as if you were say going to brush a fly away, nine times out of ten the other person won't react, even when you lay your hand on them. Try it, it's funny!

I don't even remember how I came across it, but this article on the Indo-Greeks actually almost gave me goosebumps. I just had no idea that such a culture existed, or that it could have even existed. I mean it makes sense knowing that Alexander the Great invaded India and such, but who'd have thought something like Greco-Buddhism might have existed? I wonder in turn why this isn't brought up in more historical texts. Hell, if I were in charge it would be, it seems a kind of community integration like I was speaking of before, but on a grand scale.

I don't know why I thought I'd be able to, but I tried to physically outwit an Australian shepherd. My first clue that it wasn't going to go well should have been the fact that she could traverse the width of the dog park like a furry little meteor on speed. But hey, I thought, I can out-juke her, I have a bigger brain, right? Ha, no. Any spin or fake-out or fancy footwork I managed to accomplish left me face to face with her, or her quite literally dancing in circles around me, or ready to trip me at will, to the point where I actually managed to bore her, I think. I'm sure it was quite hilarious from an outside perspective, though, as Ms. Kim can probably attest. I guess if I ever get in a fight with that kind of dog I know not to rely on agility - that would be a reliance-upon-power-and-opposable-thumbs encounter all the way. Just need to grab the bloody animal to keep it from moving, it's not good when you blink and something is suddenly behind you in that space of time.

Well, I haven't actually read it yet (it'd been sitting on my bookshelf since I brought it back from Florida), but Faith and Fire by James Swallow gets a glowing recommendation by my dad. He apparently took it with him while hunting, and was so engrossed that a doe managed to stroll pretty much unnoticed within ten yards of him, which is saying something if you know my dad.

In other news, I just thought I'd reiterate that I'm a big fan of community integration. That is whether on a, say, inter-city level such as The Frank Show being broadcast in both Tucson and Reno - allowing a caller from one city to offer a caller from the other city a job. Or, the head instructor at the east-side dojo's manner of reaching out to the community in the immediate area of the school, such as setting up self-defense workshops at apartment complexes. Or, in a kind of converse of that, the diner wherein the community comes to a center in a kind of forum cum social cum haggling center. Or, in an artistic way, promotion of local music and events through, say, the community radio station. Not really going to go into reasons why, right now, just that it's something I'm into.

-on sci-fi leading characters: "Theirs would be without the standard white guy lead whose name starts with "J" (James T. Kirk, John Crichton, John Sheridan (Babylon 5), Jeffrey Sinclair, Jonathan Archer, Jack O'Neill (Stargate), John Sheppard (Stargate), J. Koenig, J. Robinson, Jean-Luc Picard, Jeremiah (series))."
--I'd never made that connection; I also find it funny that I recognize all but two of those.

things of note! from the weekend! apparently it will be an institution.
-I have officially smacked a cop upside the head; I just hope that, in doing so, I haven't gotten rid of a get-out-of-jail-free card I might have had, if she pulls me over
-who knew a U.S. Marine could do Brittney Spears' 'Toxic' so well? Complete with a stripper dance against a pole and everything, it was hot...and vaguely disturbing
-'Fever' is officially hands down the hottest karaoke song ever, beating out the former 'Smooth Operater' and 'I Touch Myself'
-as much as 'Bye Bye' by Jo Dee Messina gets stuck in my head every time I hear it, I like it, so it's all good
-the hot wings at the Depot will try to kill you, and/or make your mouth the ninth circle of hell...or whichever one is fiery, I forget
-people who look like they're randomly having spasms might actually be talking in sign language; or randomly having spasms, that too
-two-year-olds can have upper body strength that is surprising...and mohawks...and point out exactly where their 'yam sack' is
-mmm, yorkshire pudding. next step: try it will sweetness! perhaps cloudberry jam....
-and I feel kind of bad for the people that live next to the Depot; if they didn't hear the entire (filled) bar singing (yelling) 'Bohemian Rhapsody,' they must have had earplugs in
-you know your town's football team might not be doing to well when the head coach is on commercials making jokes about having to skip town after the season's over

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, with Will Ferrell, and as Ms Kim pointed out, that girl from The Wedding Date. Unlike whatever that soccer movie with Ferrell was, this one was not a disgusting waste of time; it was actually pretty fun. Yes, it was stupid, but we were laughing nigh the entire time. Though I suspect it's one of those movies that might be even more fun to quote than to watch - for instance, the vet clinic at Sunrise and Swan is about to be a very funny place for a while, I expect

another poem rough, once again, the formatting might not carry through...

Impersonal
-
The rear-view mirror is telling me a story,
a window from the miniature world inside my car
to the miniature world inside another.

It's a monotone day
(white overcast and gray)
and the air is flat.

And he slouches, sullen,
listless and dark,
and she stares forward, fixed,
static.

But she raises their hands (fingers entwined)
to her lips; she smiles slow,
and his eyes change.
---
The night is dull, or maybe it's me
feeling like I'm looking through
someone else's eyes.

The intersection is lit green, the color's
a mist I probably would have gone through
anyway, were it red.

I would have killed him.

He's slouching quickly on the crosswalk
as if there's no crimson glowing hand
begging him to stay;
the truck before me swerves and skids-

But he looks up as I pass, eye contact
like barbs; rust dark hurt
catching in my throat.

another interesting quote:
"Any moment of pain is ultimately bearable. What is unbearable is to project the pain into time, to add up how many minutes it has been going on, to wonder how much longer it will last or how much more we can take. To think about time in this way is in itself suffering."

interesting paragraph (the mention of adrenaline seems a bit extreme, but it gets the point across):
"Many people, so used to living in the dramatic world they create, feel uncomfortable when confronted with the prospect of a lifetime of peace and contentment. The drama in their lives serves multiple purposes. Upset causes excitement, prompting the body to manufacture adrenaline, which produces a pleasurable surge of energy. For those seeking affection in the form of sympathy, drama forms the basis of their identity as a victim. And when drama is familial, many people believe they can avoid abandonment by continuing to play a key role in the established family dynamic. The addiction to drama is fed by the intensity of the feelings evoked during bouts of conflict, periods of uncertainty, and upheaval."

Radio news: "A powerful car bomb blew the roof off a car and launched the windshield over forty-foot trees into a swimming pool." - ten points to Tucson for being aweso; not only do we blow up cars, we do it with panache

Here's to Pat! He's basically in charge of getting stuff we're shipping out put on to trucks. I don't know much about him besides that he's a great proponent of beer as a nutritional item, is archetypically ornery and sun-conditioned and tattoo'ed, and is a Vietnam vet, but it's really a 'here's to Pat' on account of his wit. This guy has the fastest, sharpest wit of anyone I've met, no joke; the closest second I can think of is Mr Andrew while he's in the zone, and that is a close second, but still, Pat can be just plain astonishing. He whips stuff out of nowhere, bouncing stuff off the most banal of statements, and even when he's angry he's never mean about it, which I consider his highest accomplishment. Fifty points, Pat!

In other news, I put a deluge of new photos up (and I also wanted to use the word deluge, if somewhat improperly...and apparently make up another word, as well). Twenty points to whoever learns me what kind of spider that greenling is!

Things of Note! upon a labor day weekend.
-apparently sesame shrimp is a very, very bad idea.
-the original Clerks was funny, of course, but not hilarious in the same way Clerks II is, we realized - still need the first to laugh at the second, though.
-if you get up at four in the morning, it's easy to be surprised at around 9:30am as you, thinking it's lunchtime, happily eat a caesar salad...woo disorientation
-a little known fact: dogs can actually powerslide. no joke.
-it's cool to see a really well trained dog do its thang on an agility course, as the handler barely has to move, or even speak, while the dog bolts around like zoom
-sometimes the dog, however, will turn and bark at the person - best anyone can figure out, it sure seems like the dog is getting frustrated that the human isn't keeping up and telling them what to do next - yay interspecies yelling at each other!
-I think it would be cool for if the tunnel obstacles in agility trials were actually underground tunnels in some spots; it would be fun to see the dog disappearing and popping up randomly
-it would also be cool if they used tunnels in human races as well, so we could run up the sides of curved walls and whatnot; hell, I'd watch 'Obstacle Course' in the Olympics, that would be fun
-when it's proved over again that Tucson really is the biggest small town ever, it's not usually to have to listen for rotating-between-people hours worth of self-centered complaints and commentary...usually

Unrelatedly, Owen and Mzee

The Illusionist, with Ed Norton, Paul Giamatti, and Jessica Biel. One, the flipping-the-coin method is to be officially abolished as a method of choosing which movie to watch - don't trust its beguiling, flippy witchcraft! And two, I'm really not sure why this movie seems to be getting the good reviews it's getting. For one thing, I noted that it said, 'based on the short story...' That's short story. Not 'excessively drawn-out movie that goes on way too long.' I mean, I'll admit we were a bit disillusioned, as we thought we were going to see The Prestige, but had gotten the two movies confused, but we thought, hey, this has Ed Norton, it might be good. Yeah no. What might have been solid had it been short and focused maintaining an outside-perspective of that old school Mage: the Ascension-style magick - that is, leaving the story ambiguous as to the supernatural nature of the given act, and even and especially as to the outcome - was instead a banally archetypical story that relied upon being clever, when it wasn't really.

Invincible, with Mark Wahlberg and Greg Kinnear. This movie, on the other hand, was quite solid, even in being a simple, archetypical underdog/sports story - it didn't have any illusions as to what it was or was trying to do, and was more honest and the stronger for that. Sure, everyone can pretty much guess exactly what's going to happen, when the encouraging words are going to be said, etc, etc. But I thought there was a surprising amount of effort put into subtly delving the economic situation concurrent to the story, and how sports played into that; hell, in a few small ways, I was way more concerned with the mental/emotional plight of the city-characters than with the football situation.

Horus Rising, by Dan Abnett. Reason #17 why Abnett is one of my favorite authors: he actually pulled this novel off. I was kind of wary of the idea of taking the origin story of what had been an already admittedly rich and complex setting, and actually trying to make a novel out of it. That is, to story-tell it and give voice to the characters, rather than to read it like a distanced docu-epic, didn't seem a possible thing to do without just turning...disappointing.

But by golly. I mean, it wouldn't make sense to anyone not versed in the setting, but what was a relatively black and white affair before has become a personal, tragic thing in my mind - I mean, this one novel changes the nature of every other story I've read that's based on that setting. Of course, Abnett's incredibly cinematic style and developed, layered characters (especially in a setting where it's incredibly hard not to de-humanize characters) were a great help, and furthermore his interesting tact of adapting the idea of the embedded journalist to the gothic setting. It's not light reading, to emphasize - it's definitely a tragedy...I actually found myself thinking something like, "Oh, no, please no no no...." often, even though I knew the eventual outcome, like Anakin/Darth Vader style. But this is much better.

A nice article on satya, or 'truth' (but not exactly), in a way closely related to one of my favorite things - tact

Isn't 'to fall in love' an interesting phrase? For whatever reason I heard it the other day in conjunction with someone discoursing on Lucifer 'falling' and becoming Satan. Mind, I'm not driving at some cheap love=evil analogy, here, but rather about the general idea of falling from something 'pure' (an angelic state?) to something...not pure? Well, no, I don't even like that analogy - I guess what I would go with is the question, if you were to fall in love with someone, would you be willing to fall from Grace for them, if you were an angel? That's the analogy I wanted.

Wow, the first paragraph describing shrikes kind of disturbed me....it's so menacing, and the bird looks so small and cute.

Ok, one, I could watch this guy train all day (especially check out, say, the first demonstration video, and his adroitness at evading and using the Muay Thai shield principle). Two, I want a BOB. For Christmas or my birthday...or..uh...autumn, I don't care.

Our Lady of Seven Sorrows is a long, but cool poem; it's what the Lady of Pain in Planescape is based upon, interestingly, though I'm not sure the one person I think might get that reference will read this, but hey. Mmm..okay wait maybe a couple of people will. Eh whatever.

--A poem! Though it's rough, and was written all in one quick burst. Had to get something on this topic out of the way, though, it was blocking me from writing about more recent things [damn! can't get the tabs to work...I'll try to fix that later]---

Fever
-
Flame.
My body, my muscles,
something deeper and inherent
had been set
on fire.

It was contained within my skin, though –
the tears it distilled from my eyes
were cold in their rivulets on my cheeks.

Please, I begged.
Knowing the answer, I pleaded.
I knew I was really only whispering
to my self; she'd already walked away.
Please, I begged.

Tears, a soaking rain
that washed broken life,
that washed identity from me,
until there was nothing of me left;

until I slept.

-here, watch skilled technician Denis Kang of Grapple Arts fame submits Amar Suloev with finesse- kind of a big deal, as Suloev had just beaten Bustamente, of all people

-Pick a number!

So I learned the interesting term ekphrastic by way of Ms Abby, and a random ol' memory occurred to me. Probably one of the first poems I ever wrote, way back when in...it would have had to have been seventh grade, was in this strange sort of 'gifted' program which really seemed an excuse to goof off for a period. Nonetheless, we made solid efforts in creative writing, and I remember us coming up with some good stuff; that is, my idyllic seventh grade memories say so, anyway, I'm sure it was complete crap. Anyway, one day I wrote what I considered to be my magnum opus at the time, a long, bardic kind of poem about a slaves in a fantasy novel I was reading. The teacher thought it interesting and asked whether it was about the Underground Railroad or somesuch. When I explained the actual subject matter to the teacher, he quickly dismissed my poem as anything noteworthy; obviously, the harsh travails of the characters I wrote of weren't much, but in my mind, hey, at least I knew about that - should I have been attempting writing about real experiences of people long dead that I knew I'd never truly understand?

Either way, in your face, teacher of yore! This is me writing 'ekphrastic' on your forehead. Figuratively speaking.

Guest Poetry Showcase! As I don't have anything new right now, though I'm filled with the urge to write, in getting a relative wealth of poetry shared with me in the past couple days, from several people.

Innocence and Inspiration

Sunrise like any other
But by sunset, everything changed
Pangaea splitting, making worlds
One moment, admiring the foliage
The next, spicy juice slithering down the wrist
One crisp clean bite

The avalanche starts leisurely
Pebbles skitter
Like foam before a wave
Then a wall of dust
Obscuring the leviathan
Boulders follow, dry rattling,
Bone gears clicking into motion.

A deluge of
Dust and ash and bone and verve.
A phoenix of particles
Complexification of thought
Architecture of collapse
And reformation

We may have lived before
But we weren't alive
Until after that
First bite.

-in this poem, note the arc from organic/life to inorganic and back, and layered along with that the cinematic zooming in and out from the allegoric moment in the opening and closing stanzas (that's my inner English major coming out)

I think they should do this before football games; imagine it with all the pads and whatnot, and the differences in size between the linebackers and say the kicker. I think it would add a whole different element to the game; I'd personally be more interested and less inclined to slide into thinking of them as just highly paid bumper cars. Or if they did in volleyball (mmm...so hot...) or, uh, badminton. That would also be crazy.

That said, go Bengals and Falcons! Hoorah!

I haven't actually had a chance to look at it, but Let's Say Thanks sounds like a good idea in theory, to support our military - trusting Ms Nicole on this one.

In other news, Ms Kim taught me how to hold a leash properly, as it would probably be embarassing to have my shoulder dislocated by a large dog at a show. Apparently it's like holding a horse's reins, so I guess I know how to do that kind of as well, now (I suddenly feel like a gunslinger!) [ok, not really but anyway], though I really couldn't describe it in text. I guess my old wrapping around wrist and forearm method was fine with my family's mellowest-springer-spaniel-ever, but wouldn't quite cut it for, say, a mastiff. Yikes.

I just liked the 'bring it'-ness of this photo

First off, Life in Transit, by Our Man in Seattle (hee I always wanted to be able to use that phrase), Mr Andrew! Smart and snappy, in the land of...uh....coffee and rain. And apparently people randomly breakdancing. Mmm...coffee and rain....and breakdancing...

Randoms from the Weekend (tempted to make this an institution):
-moving stuff from one storage unit to another, lugged a bunch of Mr Wyatt's rocket stuff. As I was carrying the exquisitely shaped (though now broken) nozzle of the famous Precision 1, something finally clicked about rocketry to me. That is, how what I had previously just thought of as cold, impersonal engineering is directed towards not only harnessing, but also shaping something akin to raw energy. I mean, it's one thing to take a crowbar and manipulate solid matter, but another entirely to cut out a starburst pattern in a solid propellant, ignite liquid oxygen down the middle, and direct it out of a graphite nozzle built upon mathematical beauty-in-perfection. It's like alchemy combined with sculpture-with-function.
-then I started looking at a windshield while driving, which struck me as I was looking at solid matter, now, but I could see straight through it - so was I looking at what was beyond the glass, or at the glass itself? Similarly, when I look at the mirrors, am I looking at the reflection....or at the surface of the mirror itself, that has taken on the quality of the reflection in my eyes?
-a blueberry champagne martini might be drinkable...if it's not composed almost entirely of vodka. Pomegranate-cranberry is tastier anyway.
-what's with two different people showing up over an hour late to two different going-away parties? That were for them? Seriously, people. I narrow my eyes at you.
-is it bad that I'm tempted to think about a shaped, faint scar (spiral) made by a kind of branding on a cute gal I met, in light of doing it? Probably.
-Home Depot, while generally aweso, will try to deceive you with their delivery charges! "Free plus haul-away" for over $299...but if a washer and dryer are over $299 combined, it doesn't count, one of them has to be over that price. Trickery!
-getting slammed into a brick wall is not necessarily that bad; just get some meat with a high cover between your head and the wall, or shape your body with a vertically-aligned breakfall (or both, as I did on the weekend, and was luckily protected as well by the slam-er).
-and really, was anyone surprised that Chuck Liddell only had a quick little fight? I've not heard the details, yet, but I have to say within the three days before and night of, the various random people I spoke to about it all predicted the same result.

Diary of a Mad Pigeon - blog of Mr Wyatt's Geopolitics teacher...nope, I still haven't really figured it out, either

"His verses, which being illiterate he never expressed in writing, often began with some strongly worded insult to get the attention of passers-by." - heh, in regards to my favorite Indian saint-poet

This paragraph'll pretty much make sense to Dark Tower devotees only, I think...which is basically me and Ms. Connie, but hey. There's these spindles at work, where every time I send a purchase order, I put it on one of them, and every time we receive what is ordered, I take the appropriate purchase order off. So basically, as much as I am kind of replenishing the spindles each time, all the same I'm continuously taking purchase orders off - but not in any particular order, for all the spindle is concerned, it's completely randomly being depleted. So I thought, if the spindle was a little world unto itself (thinking of the end of the first novel in the series, here), it would be analagous to Roland's Mid-World, in how it's contantly moving on, as it were. Though I guess it could also be an example of Theseus' Paradox, now that I think about it, completely unrelatedly.

For Ms. Feifei, an explanation of my semi-nonsensical flickr labels –

Basically, different languages, appropriate meanings of female names...
Zahrah - Arabic/blooming flower; the flower set, natch
Acantha - Greek/thorn; basically cacti reproductive organs
Klytie - nymph who loved the sun unrequitedly, transformed into sun-following flower (heliotrope); that’s poetic for ‘sunsets are kewl’
Nephele - fem created from a cloud by Zeus; I was kinda proud of that one, actually, vapor, smoke, and vapor-related activities
Midori - Japanese/green; though I can’t help but think of the similarly named drink, plants without the flower aspect
Nawara - Arabic/'to illuminate'; just trying to be artsy with light
Shailaja - Sanskrit/daughter of the mountain; mmm tasty landscapes
Eshe - Swahili/life; yeah I had trouble coming up with that one, the fauna set
Promethia – a play on Prometheus, who brought fire, etc; things created by human thought and hands
Ngaio – Maori/from the name of a tree; um….well, trees.
Enosha – a play on Enosh = Hebrew/’human being’; as hesitant as I am to take people photos, I decided to put some up anyway
Berie – Old English/berry; fruit! And possibly other food pictures in the future….mmm so hungry…

-and, in other news, last night was the first night I've had a police helicopter's spotlight on me. And I just tried a 'taco de cabeza'...quite tasty, actually. Though I'm a tiny bit worried over mad cow disease, heh.

Oh man, I wish I had my camera. Going to grab Lisa and I lunch at Wendy's (mmm spicy bird meat), there was a beautiful cloud system with at least four distinct types of formations, then to the south was just an ominously massive thunderhead. If last night was any indication (I had run around 4th Ave and the UA in and out of the leading edge of the lightning-ridden storm) going by Debbie being blocked by fallen foliage from getting to work and Lisa's neighbor's house getting smashed by the same, looks like part of the valley is going to be hit by microbursts again. Fun, monsoon times!

A Tale of Two Sisters (Janghwa, Hongryeon), with...dang, I'm not so good with foreign actors, uh, Korean people. Last night I was kind of comparing this movie in its unreliable narrator-ness and identity issues to Mulholland Drive, though upon reading the wiki entry for it, I think as that article points out Fight Club is perhaps a more apt comparison. In the end, I think I decided I liked this movie...though it took reading the wiki entry to confirm theories and that I really didn't miss what were details that were actually left out to solidify that. I though it was quite effective as a pyschological thriller/horror film, and some of the shots from the opening one on were downright artistic, but I was actually a little frustrated at times by the lack of information. I can't figure out why I was frustrated by it here, where I've been fascinated by that in other movies, though. Maybe I had a phantom 'ache or something.

I did think about how it's funny how horror movies kind of seep into one's perception of reality even after they're over, though. For example, a house I normally walk around confidently in the dark suddenly became hollow and creepy and filled with dark corners, and the hairs on the back of my neck were rising...till I stopped and consciously re-asserted what my senses were actually perceiving, not what my movie-affected mind was imposing.

I'd try this here but I'm sure a Mexicana would stick one in my eye

Proof of dark matter? This, my friends, is no laughing matter. Heh...yeah that wasn't even a pun. Oy.

-in other news, I'm grandly reorganizing my flickrspace; each set was getting too diverse within itself for my tastes

random comments on the weekend:
-I need to learn to play darts. That was just embarrassing.
-Why, oh why, would you put an olive in beer? I understand it might fit with the ironic theme of a bar, but ew!
-Russian Banana = liquid banana split. Alas, I didn't want to be sick, so didn't really drink mine.
-Well, apparently Jill and I are the only ones to like that London Bridge song that Fergie does, as even Lisa is astonished that I think it anything but stupid. Hmph. Still, it was perfect to have it play on the radio as got to the London Bridge...at least I thought so, no one else in the truck did (though I appreciate Kim's effort, mad props to crazy dancing).
-Flip flops with bottle openers on bottom? What the hell?
-Aussie shepherds = super intelligent. Cats named Godzilla = just funny.
-Finding differences between photos always annoyed me...till I found out it's fun with cute girls to team up with, and a time limit is set on it
-Nouveau riche x white trash = shady + tacky, to the nth.....black shag carpet, framed playboys, a (very literal) home theatre, and a baby of uncertain parentage playing on said carpet - enough said.
-Fish swimming upside-down = creepy...despite the humorous, gaseous reason behind it. I mean, according to the general semantic aspect of an upside-down fish, that would basically make it a zombie fish by principle, right?

Boxing Helena, with Julian Sands and Sherilyn Fenn. And directed by the daughter of David Lynch - ah ha! I was right. Kind of. Anyway, this is kind of a rip-off of The Collector, by John Fowles, in terms of general plot, but given an 1980s veneer replete with wealth and egotism. That, and unfortunately the characters were nowhere near as fleshed out (kind-of pun not intended), and nothing like Fowles' famous switching of perspective was even hinted at. There was a lot of unsubtle imagery and metaphoric stuff going on, so it would be easy to write an essay about for a class or something, I suppose, what with statues missing limbs and obvious archetypal characters (mmm, 80s macho man, oh yeah). As much as this is the closest I've come to actually picking out a good movie for a movie night (its badness was luckily mitigated by our running commentary and Ms. Kim being an awesome girlfriend what with the apple pie), just go read The Collector. Hell I might go read it again.

Secondary commentary: we thought it was funny that a good portion of this movie was Skinemax all the way, so if you're looking for some very, very cheap thrills and willing to accept the absurdity and bad acting for some interesting visuals, then maybe rent this movie.

-one of the more practical yoga articles I've read lately, interesting to think of when running into an emotional issue

-if you know me and you saw this, you'd know I'd immediately want to try it

Resurrection, by Paul Kemp. This is the final book in the War of the Spider Queen, and but damn, I was actually satisfied with a conclusion (versus the general opinion of say, the third Matrix). I mean, maybe I didn't like what happens to some of the charaters because I particularly liked them, but I thought at least they ended well, for the most part. This is one of those books/series I could go on and on about, so I'll cut myself off with mentioning the espionage, intrigue, dom/sub 'romance,' tense swordplay, clever magic duels, and a huge amount of depth and complexity in all sorts of gender and ethical themes for beer+pretzel fantasy.

Nightwatch (Nochnoy Dozor), with...Russian people. Mmm, yeah, probably this is going in the box to take to Bookman's - lesson learned, probably don't go by recommendations by ex-girlfriends. I thought this movie had a lot of potential going by the trailer and general concept, and it did end up having an assortment of cool moments. Unfortunately, I'd say those moments were mired in a mess of confusion in plot and holes in background information (and not in a good way, like Pulse). I would have been a lot happier if the movie had gone a lot further in one direction or another - horror, action, conceptual thriller...hm. Maybe I'll watch it again when I'm less tired, it was pretty late at night when we put it on - I suppose it did win awards in Russia, maybe I just wasn't in the right mood to watch it or something. Or maybe I should have just watched it with some wodka.

New rolling drills! Courtesy of Hugh and Martial Science...er...still not sure exactly what to call it. Anyway. The interesting contrast between how he was trained and how we used to train at Ko Sho is in the further development of rolls - the basic idea is the nigh exactly the same, but in these new drills specific attributes are trained one by one. The trick with the old Ko Sho way of teaching is that it would just be the basic technique, and then any furthering of attributes lost the basic technique in (sloppily) straining for the attribute - with these, if the basic technique is not maintained, knotted shoulders and faceplanting results.

-for timing, there's rolling past a sword swung back and forth and low to the
ground, and then up and down in a vertical plane, then an alternation of the two; seems mind-numbingly simple, but can be annoying, initially
-for distance, the roll is done past an object that is moved a little further away each time; we were surprised at the distance we could achieve, more than we thought possible
-for height there's jumping over a sword held horizontally (Hugh could do chin-high gracefully), and conversely there's extending and...well, morphing a roll to fit under the same, held lower and lower; for the former, like the distance drill it's great for teaching controlling the initial contact with the ground with the arms held at a proper 45 and flowing into the roll, and for the latter, it starts to teach deciding how and when to contort the body, for example by elongating and yet keeping the roll tight
-for diving, there's leaping through a 'window' composed of two swords held horizontally; again, it's interesting to learn to consciously decide when to shift the body's form, this time in mid-air
--of course, with any contact with the obstacles in question, there's a recquisite ten pushups, natch

So, basically, that's a whole lot of new (and yet old, in a sense) skills to develop. Which is totally awesome. It really is interesting to see how much every single one of those drills is practically ninety percent mental, as we could all do the individual things fine....it was just the fear/hesitation/not believing in ourselves that would hinder us, and it was obvious that was the only issue.

Random trivia of the day, from wiki - the native mammal fauna of Puerto Rico consists exclusively of bats! Of course, upon further reading, it's revealed that there were other little thangs like rodents and such that are now extinct, but imagine taking that statement entirely wrong and picture Bat Island. Like King Kong, but with wings. Or Hitchcock's Birds, but with fruitbats stealing your mangos. Why yes, I am that badass at coming up with ideas, thank you.

So I stop by my family’s house the other day, and go to get the mail. Next to mailbox is a cholla that has nice, dark red blossoms, so I go to take a picture of it. Noticing a bee, I think hey bee+flower=nice photo. Then I notice the bee isn’t moving. Thinking that strange, I lean in real, real close….then gasp and draw away, as a quarter-sized collection of legs shifts languidly. Who ever heard of a green spider? In any case, for some reason, just standing near the thing was kind of creeping me out, whether by it unexpectedly shifting into existence a few centimeters from my eyeball (at least by my perception, in how it perfectly mimicked the green of the cactus and its legs, the needles, and how it seemed to float in midair) or by the fact that I’d never seen its ilk before.

Ok, this commentary is going to be SPOILER-ific if anyone actually cares to go see that Pulse movie I wrote of below, so don’t read it if you want to see it!

I was thinking of (not sure if it’s a Buddhist or yogic thing) the tenet that one way of looking at suffering in the abstract sense is that it is generated by the feeling of separation – whether from one’s own self, or socially, or even separation from an object that one desires – all different levels of the same thing, basically. In Pulse, the invading ghosts drive/cajole/compel (depending on who you ask) people to separate themselves more and more, in effect acting like an external ego that’s imposing itself upon them, going by this idea:
"This compulsive mind constructs a separate sense of self, often called the ego, that's trapped in a world of psychological time, surrounded by other separate selves that threaten its survival. It then invents the spiritual search and other self-improvement schemes as an attempt to escape the trap it has created for itself."

Like the dots in the grad students allegorical program, as much as they're naturally repulsed, they’re also drawn to the ghost as a dark parody of that natural urge towards ‘spirituality’ (no pun intended), except the ghost is no solution, but the trap itself. The ghost is then keeping the person out of the overflowing afterlife-dimension by trapping them in an extreme of ego-separation - forever, in that ‘psychological time’, which leads into this idea, as a contrast:

"...time is merely a creation of the mind, and only the Now exists. When we awaken to our identity with this timeless dimension, the problem with finding a balance between doing and being drops away as the separate self-sense dissolves, and all that's left is simply life living itself."

Pulse, to me, is a twisted version of that ideal (the zen state of contented being, aware of one’s connection to everything being connected). So when the people are driven to an opposite but yet similar version of that zen state – they’re completely separated from everyone, and yet have still lost their sense of self at the point where they submit to the ghost and embrace it - they’re also in a timeless state. But not one that’s focused on a healthy understanding of ‘living by the moment,’ as it were, but one that leaves them trapped in an extreme of mind-creating-time – hence, they’re immortal in a sense, which is exactly what the invading ghosts desire, to keep them out of the afterlife-dimension.

***

Sounds like an intriguing story based on spirals

Kairo (Pulse), with...uh...a goofy guy that's easy to empathize with, and a pretty girl. Yeeaah, I don't know Japanese actors really, except for Kaneshiro Takeshi. Who definitely wasn't in this movie. I think. Anyway, ten points to Ms. Kim for having great taste in movies, I think I get schooled as much with her as I did in the grand ol' movie-watching days of literary theory. Kairo would have been great fodder for that class, and would have had people going to lunch after class to continue arguing about it, I'm sure. I don't want to inadvertantly create any spoilers by thinking 'out loud' in this forum (and this is a movie that does best without spoilers), but I'll probably see this movie again at some point, if only to figure out a little bit more of it. Creepy, and provocative, and atmospheric - it's slow, but that gives you time to figure out the puzzle of it, I guess.

Thoughts on Thinking - a quick little posit on a zen perspective on the nature of thought

Last week I stayed after class to meet a new instructor for the west-side school, who might be doing a Hapkido class. That hour and some of basically getting beat up was interesting in a few different ways.

For one, I'd forgotten how much of an etiquette there can be when martial artists (at least, the kind without inflated-ego problems like some have) meet each other. When this hapkido instructor and one of our higher-ranked instructors met, for example, even as they were listing multiple ranks and international lineages, there was still an overriding rule of modesty - there was no comparison or competition, just a stating of facts, with the assumption being that the other person would take the information for exactly what it was. My only contribution there, of course, was to insert myself at the very bottom of the Ko Sho lineage.

Then there was the interesting technical discussion as each instructor tried to get a handle on the other's art; I knew hapkido was basically a hybrid of Korean foot-fighting arts and Japanese joint-manipulation, but didn't realize how incredibly similar it is to our Tomiki aikido. Their teaching structure is interestingly a bit different, starting out with offensive joint manipulations, which I think is a great idea, and obviously their atemi includes a repetoire of high kicks, but for the most part a good many techiques are nigh the same, and not just in principle. My contribution there was to be the demonstration dummy (or, 'demo-bitch,' if you will). Ow.

One thing that caught my attention as well was how readily apparent it was to see how a school of thought could diffuse and change by teaching-culture. For example, while the hapkido seemed to have gained some things in mixing a relatively grappling/soft art with completely-offensive, hard striking arts, namely that offensive mindset and a certain flexibility (no pun intended, for anyone who might get that), in being separated from the 'source' and in becoming more technique based, some subtle-understanding was lost. That is, it was funny to see a light-bulb appear over the hapkido instructor's head concerning something he'd been doing for years, when our aiki-jujitsu instructor went, "No no, do it like this, because of this." Ding! So, our principle-based teaching may not be as refined, but we keep some information that is easily lost otherwise. Pros and cons on both sides, which might be rectified in bringing the arts full circle.

And lastly, I'll re-state the opinion, mostly coming from the east-side school, that grappling should be taught early and often, regardless of whether the student is primarily a striker. Besides that it's a royal pain in the ass to train with someone who's never done any and so is uncomfortable and fearful, or with someone who's only trained in full-contact with no regard for control (injury waiting to happen on both counts), the benefits garnered by having that basis in knowledge of continuous contact with the opponent are huge. For example, despite having never met, the instructors and I were able to practically discuss some things without even having to talk about it, because in grappling arts a great deal is dependent upon proprioceptive sensitivity, to oneself and to the other person - their body becomes part of one's own upon contact, for all intents and purposes.

Rent, with most of the original Broadway cast, apparently. I'll put this one in the column of 'musicals I did end up liking.' Actually, that said, I think I generally like most musicals I see, anyway. I'll be curious to see this one on stage when it comes to town, if only to see if I develop a similar man-crush on the character Angel, as I did on the one in the film. I'll maintain, tangentially, that at the moment anyway I still like musicals in a film media over stage musicals; I recognize my girlfriend and music-school cousin's opinions that good stage effects are more worthy of appreciation, but having little knowledge of the mechanics of those, I've got to go with appreciating the wider range of things film can do, with my better understanding of that.

Addendum - so, to keep in line with that earlier Rosario Dawson commentary, in my opinion she was not attractive at all in Sin City, very attractive in Clerks II, and kind of in the middle in Rent, leaning towards not as attractive in a sad way when her addict character loses weight.

Also, today is the anniversary of the Battle of Thermopylae - I just hope a pyrrhic victory doesn't appear at some point...

Wolves of the Calla, by Stephen King. My two favorite epics right now are Frank Herbert's Dune, and King's Dark Tower, I have to say; for a myriad of common and differing reasons, but the one that stands out is in how each story immediately affects my way of thinking as I read a part of each. In the case of Dune, it's mostly the segments where Bene Gesserit philosophy and teaching come into play; for example, I was impressed to learn in my thesis research how Herbert actually implemented some of the ideas from his last novel on his ranch in Washington, and it became a well-known model of ecologically-friendly self-suffecient living. In King's novel, it's the philosophy and behavior of the gunslingers that interests me the most, though I can't help but note how very, very similar it is at times to the Bene Gesserit of Dune.

Anyhoo, this novel lived up to the previous novels in the series admirably, natch. While at parts connecting to another of King's novels, interestingly creating an odd sort of shared setting, most of the novel plays out as a variant of Kurosawa's Seven Samurai, an oft-covered yarn I was happy to see done-over by King. I still haven't figured out how I feel about the (admittedly quite original, at least in my experience) metafiction aspect King slipped into the story, but it's a good kind of indecisiveness, especially in how (as usual) I was left with goosebumps at the end.

The Hills Have Eyes, with a cute little deformed girl played by the annoying cheerleader in that T-Mobile commercial. Wouldn't it be weird if the hills actually had eyes? Or hidden away in the hills there was just a big eye set into the soil, and as you rounded a corner it would shift to stare at you? How freaky would that be? Anyhoo, while not particularly scary, I thought it was a well put-together film; the pacing kind of threw me a little, but I enjoyed the standard horror movie tables-turned segment.

Almost Famous, with a bunch of almost famous people. Ha, ha, except that doesn't really work. Anyway, I've not much to say about this movie, actually, it was just a generally solid film, all-around. Umm...yep, kind of drawing a blank. Except for, "I'M ON DRUGS!!!"

Intermediate Pilates, with Ana Caban. I'll be repeating this one, rather than selling it back to Bookman's; as with most times I've done pilates, I thought it really wasn't much of a workout at first, and it's really not. Rather, I do notice a definite improvement in my posture and...just comfort in standing or sitting nice and upright, afterwards. This dvd has two workouts, one faster and a bit more strenuous, the other slower and more instructional - but in the end, I'd say the most is gotten out of it if both are done one right after the other.

tiny motor - that's up there in being worth a try with the BB gun shenanigans

Hostel, with Jay Hernandez and Derek Richardson. Well, for one I was actually kind of disappointed, in a strange way - I thought there would be much more, and more of a variety of violence and depravity. I guess, as Ms. Kim said, had the movie not been talked up so much in that regard we might have enjoyed it more, instead of it falling short of built-up expectations. In a sense, it was kind of like a bad kung fu movie, with a minimal plot only serving to provide a context for the sex and gore, and in that sense is probably enjoyable in a similar manner, at least.

Direct from Nate the Peace Corps dude, putting a strike-anywhere match in a BB gun! Actually, it didn't turn out to be that big of a deal, it kind of made a little spark that would probably be kind of cool at night, and a 'snap!' I was a bit surprised it actually worked, though. I'm more interested in trying some of his other suggestions, such as putting a noodle of the proper diameter in a BB gun (supposedly it'll hammer through surprising materials) and making little grenados out of the cardboard tube that goes on a coat hanger.

In other news, my first attendance of a fetish ball was pretty fun. It was a much quieter affair than I had expected it to be, though why I had some conception in my mind that it would be a loud, rave environment I've no idea. Mostly just people walking around, complimenting each other's outfits, and chatting. I was quite disappointed in my own outfit (a snafu involving mixed up leather pants and a lack of makeup), but that notwithstanding, some improvised electrical tape and borrowed boots was serviceable enough to generate compliments. The patio was well stocked with hookahs, the stage alternated between some pretty rocking metal bands and shows such as a woman hanging from several hooks.

In the banquet area were several tables selling jewelry and other accoutrements, and a smaller stage that was showing softcore sex shows and bellydancers dancing to old White Zombie songs. There was also a creepy obese guy offering free shoe shining or foot massages, and a few guys in Hawai'ian shirts just grinning like idiots and taking pictures. We quickly figured out there was sort of an etiquette for photos, wherein it wasn't really polite to just take a photo of people unless you looked like a pro-photographer, but it was polite if you were in the photo with the people. So, no artsy photos unfortunately, but if anyone wants to see, just leave a comment and I'll share the snapfish album.

Cool Sol picture found by Wyatt

So, a couple people's voices here at work just completely get on my nerves. I've no idea why, I don't particularly have anything against the people themselves, but ye gods, as soon as I hear their voice on the phone or in person I just want to smack them across the mouth. I don't know if it's something in their inflection or cadence of speech or what; for at least one of the people, I know it's not just me that's affected that way. It's really weird, like a subtlepain that's not exactly aural...*shrug*

Clerks II, with the Clerks cast and Rosario Dawson, and that dude from Alias. Actually, I enjoyed it more than I expected to; I remember thinking the original was funny, but sequels aren't often to get excited about. I did like this sequel, though; Kevin Smith reclaimed Dawson for me in having her be utterably adorable, as opposed to her role in Sin City, which I could barely stand. Besides the groan-worthy and yet snappy humor, and the always fun Jay and Silent Bob, one of my favorite archetypical romances was used, which always makes a story a winner for me.

Not much to say about it, just an interesting little blurb on developmental stages

I'm not sure what comment to make on this, maybe it's just more an observation. So Free Dominguez has moved on from the Kidneythieves to do independent stuff, Melissa Kaplan has done the same from Splashdown, and Imogen Heap has done the same after Frou Frou. Yay girl lead singers doing their own thing?

a unique and interesting weapon

Jujitsu at Ko Sho San: soon to be back in action! Hoorah! Anyway, we've decided to finally apply some karate-concepts of standards to the class, for several reasons, but mainly just to have it more organized - hopefully, we can retain the emphasis on principle over technique, however. In that regard, I'm thinking an overarching principle for each belt, and then a tripartite pathway - groundwork, standup, and drills - split between those belts as well. Here's my initial thought towards structuring:
Principles: need to put some thought into this, but off the top of my head in no particular order are creating a marriage, unbalancing, atemi, explosive vs relaxed, missing leg, ki, and posture.

Drills: backfist rolls, push-away-trap, Session, choreographed striking, falling/rolling, shooting

Groundwork: 5 basic pins, transitions and escapes, pins and strikes from each

Standup: tai sabaki, throws, standing locks, wrist manipulation (kote gaeshi)

So, for each belt, say a principle, a pin (escaping+holding), a throw, a standing lock for each belt; drills scattered throughout, as they're basic and can be filler.
Opinions and suggestions welcome!

eye asanas

Dallas 362, with Jeff Goldblum and Selma Blair, neither of whom were main characters, and neither of whom I recognized till halfway through the movie. This film was...interesting, in my opinion, but I won't say I enjoyed it. I'm not sure it was because I'd call the movie bad, per se, but I think it resonated in dissonant ways with me, reminding me uncannily and uncomfortably of people I'd met while working at the hospital, and calling to mind other issues I have right now. So while perhaps there were effective character studies in the story, in that I ended up just disliking some of the characters I was kind of put off. Interesting, but a bit too stark and colorless for my taste.

In other news, damn but that was a storm last night. And past the dawn; it was like an inordinately long microburst, but one that I'm slowly gather went across southern Arizona. I'll have to fix the screens on the windows in my room so they don't rattle at the thunder, though admittedly I doubt there'll be thunder like that in a while. The first thing I heard on the way to work when I turned on the radio was an elder gal saying, "In my 68 years I ain't never seen a storm like that..." and there's still a flashflood warning Nogales through Tucson periodically between the songs long after it stopped raining well into the morning. Crazyfun!

Apres-midi Addendum: apparently the floodwatch is going till the middle of the day tomorrow, and more storms are a'coming tonight! Aweso.

Flight, Vol. 1, by basically all of my favorite indie artist/writers. I would say this is a perfect book to introduce someone to the graphic/text genre (ie, comics). While often passed over as the realm of superheroes and banal newspaper filler, comics are an interesting liason point between visual and verbal art, and when done right can augment itself with the best points in each. Hence, the goosebumps and stirred emotions that come about after reading many of the stories in this volume, whether they are one page of six panels or can hardly be recognized as 'standard' comics at all.

Tangentially, I'm reminded of a short story, sort of, that was the starter for one of White Wolf Publishing's old shared-setting compilations. The reason I hesitate to call it a short story (as the rest of the pieces in the book were) is because it was basically a fabricated diary - the authors handwrote and sketched out the diary of a man bitten and turned into a vampire, and while that sounds like it might tip into cheesy, it was actually almost heart-wrenching because of the extra pull of that strained handwriting and frenzied, dark drawings.

And to tangent off of vampires, I'll also note that as much as the Blade movies are esteemed at the dojo for being a perfect example of the ideal of the Shuri style of fighting (simplified, staccato power hits with grappling-by-opportunity), in Blade Trinity there's a wealth of different styles right in the end. Reynold's character adroitly shifts from crossbody armbar to omo-plata (hello, standard jujitsu), Biel's character throws in a little wing chun, and Snipes and Purcell's characters throw two completely distinct styles of European sword at each other (an interesting contrast to the European versus Japanese sword at the conclusion of the first movie).

Benchwarmers, with David Spade, Rob Schneider, and Napoleon Dynamite. This movie would have failed miserably as a movie were it to take itself seriously for one moment - naturally, I have to follow that clause by stating that of course there was no point where it did such. In that line, I'd call this one something of a kid's movie for adults. That is, it has the plot and characterization, sort of, of a kid's movie, but the humor is of a fun, vulgar nature. In truth, I'm still kind of amazed I didn't find it just plain stupid...it pulled itself off, I guess.

yay mini-blogosphere!~
y.t. - yours truly, natch
Fighting the Forces of Darkness...day by day - the oh-so-lovely Ms. Connie!
Like a phoenix rises from the ashes. - Mr. Scott, back in action!
now it's powm! - Mr. Kevin, recently of the Sweden-lands, ja!
You almost had to be there. - community forum: quotalicious.

purty.

Random, silly question - for all that spears were supposedly much more prevalent than swords in real life (say, examples such as a spearhead and a pole being cheaper than a sword, or that more samurais used a yari than a katana at various points in time), why aren't they so prevalent in fantasy novels? In fact, the only examples I can think of where spears had any presence at all are in Robert Jordans Wheel of Time novels where the Aiel use an odd combination of African and Okinawan ideas about spears (short, for stabbing, but also like a sword, but also for throwing like a javelin, but with a buckler instead of a shield?), and in George Martin's most recent novel (or was it the one before?) where a spear is used in a duel, largely I'd guess to signify the exotic nature of one of the opponents.

So, is it just that the sword is more suited to heroics in its more versatile nature and myriad connotations (and the spear, conversely, not so heroic, despite its potential as a phallic symbol?). The spear is, however, often used in kung fu movies...but perhaps that's just in the interest of variety of weapons for the sake of the given movie, such as in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon where the only point a spear really comes into play is in a scene entirely based around the sheer number of different weapons used.

-interesting, short little article on yoga, and contrasting the concepts of religion and spirituality (heh, if you know me, and read to the end of the article, you'll know exactly which interests me and how)

-also, put up some old photos from Colorado and Cali

Lady in the Water, with Bryce Dallas Howard and Paul Giamatti. Wow, I really did not realize that the same gal that was in The Village was the nymph in this movie. Or narf. Whatever. In one sense, I enjoyed this movie immensely because it was like a Charles de Lint story in live action; it wasn't as good as a de Lint story because it had to be more overdeveloped and simplified to an extent in being in big-movie form. Had it been in text, however, I think a lot more could have been drawn out of it. Still, solid acting, cinematography, etc, except for the damn monkeys - just don't go into it expecting a horror movie, it's really a kid's movie in Shyamalan-form.

One, never, ever play a game called "Never Have I Ever" with a significant other. This is me verbally shaking my head "no." In the past, I wanted to know every last detail about my woman's past....but now, not so much. That's no reflection on the person at all - it goes exactly the same, the other way. Is that innocence-lost, I guess? It was easier to know about someone's past, when they didn't really have a past, as it were?

Two, 'round here apparently it's cool to have a fire at a residence, as long as it's contained within some sort of oven or grill, and you're cooking something. The firemen (and firewoman) we met the other night were really cool about not slapping down a several thousand dollar fine for a backyard conflagration, but they also weren't told about the drunkent waving of gargantuan flaming palm fronds. They did let us take pictures of the owner of the house in a swimsuit on their firetruck, though.

Three, there's a show I'd never heard of till last night, "Final Fu," that's actually pretty damn good. It's a martial arts competition/reality show, and while there's always going to be some cheese necessary to promote MA to a wider audience, they seem to keep it to a minimum. There are MA-based obstacle courses, board-breaking courses, and multiple types of sparring, the last interesting enough to get the viewer pumped and cheering. Though, we noted, it didn't seem fair to pit a small femme against a much larger guy, just in terms of advantage by weight.

Blow, with Penelope Cruz and Johnny Depp. I think it was acted well, and is an interesting snapshot in the same sense that Scarface was, about a similar subject. Same deal with it being a character study, in a vaguely similar way to that, or maybe Walk the Line. But beyond that...I don't think it pulled it off as well as those other movies. I just couldn't stay interested...maybe because there seemed to be little, realy driving tension except for the main character's oft thwarted ambition? Or maybe I was just exhausted.

Grizzly Man. I honestly saw very little of this movie. I'm just noting that as I napped while it was on in the same room, it seeping into my unconscious made for the strangest dreams I've had in a good long while. I mean, from what I did see I (and my family, who was watching) thought that the guy the movie was about was certifiably insane. Just...wow. A right loon, that one. And somehow he ended up as a transvestite news reporter in my dream? Yeah I dunno.

Superman Returns, with Parker Posey and Kevin Spacey. Eh, nothing to write home about. I think what held my interest most, besides the special effects, was vaguely trying to discern the semantic value and pattern of hair in the movie - say, Luthor's wigs, Kent's versus Superman's hair styles, Kent versus Lois' boyfriend's hair, etc. I think the movie was very true to Superman - unfortunately, as Superman is more a symbol than a character, it didn't so much make for an interesting movie. Posit, though: Superman as the American version of a Greek god?

Dead Man's Chest, with Captain Jack Sparrow. Well, except for some minor boat oar usage, I was quite disappointed in the fight scenes, especially considering how solid they were in the first movie. I liked this better than Superman Returns, overall, though this one was quite long - I almost want to say it would have worked better as a novel, with more room to flesh out a good amount of things (like the relatively more interesting love quadrangle - yes, I am counting Jimmy Olsen in the other movie).

I met a gentleman last night at a bar, who happened to be in a wheelchair. His arms seemed slightly hindered in their movement as well, but he could conversate just fine. Long and short of it, it turned out he had a wealth of knowledge of martial arts theory and application from his former training in wing-chun (I think he'd been hurt relatively recently, I gathered), and was able to articulately pick apart famous scenes and techniques from martial arts movies in a technical manner. Not much to note, just observing that it's really too bad the world didn't get to see him as a martial artist or even teacher, given his mental acuity in that regard.

Randomness. Housework is kind of fun, I've learned enough to have confidence in claiming a modicum of handiness (hell, if anybody else needs to do this stuff, I'm there and ready with oh-god-don't-do-that!'s galore), but it's exhausting and dominates your life when it needs to get done. I've never been so interested in Home Depot, though.

Crash, with many famous people. Interesting, intense, and not very happy. The postmodern aspect of it was pulled off well, I would say, as that's tricky to do without being just plain annoying or pretentious. I was wondering throughout, in regards to the racism theme, is it the anger inherent in the person that creates that racism, or the racism that creates that anger? That is, which is more inherent? If the Persian character could have just let go of his anger when it wasn't justified at all in his second appearance in the movie, would the result have been the same, for example?

So we're driving back and forth from Phoenix last night. And it occurs to me, as we drive by ABF and USF Bestway trucks, that there's a good chance that I had shipped stuff on several of the trucks that we were sharing the road with. It's not the most significant thought ever, but it was interesting to see an extension of my job out in the rest of the world - I mean, to see a...manifestation of the meaning of papers I shuffle and sign. It was a semantic kind of moment, if you will.

Sex and the City (season one). Interesting. It's certainly that. I can see how the show used scandal as an attractant, and while that's amusing on a shallow level I wasn't impressed so much with the acting and such. What interested me most about it, I think, was the structure of each episode and its potential - ie, a theme is presented, and then the episode generally follows the four different reactions of its archetype-characters. So in the sense of each episode being a sort of narrative essay on a particular topic, I enjoyed it. Beyond that, I didn't dislike it, but I'm not sure it would draw me back to follow the show at all.

I wonder, randomly, how far symbolism extends in terms of chess pieces. Does the knight move one square over because a real cavalry man might have turned his horse at the end of charge to be able to fight to one side? Is the queen a symbol of feminine empowerment over the king? Perhaps the bishops can only move in such an oblique way as a commentary on the nature of politico-religious power.

The Producers, with Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Uma Thurman, Will Ferrell, and more! Fabulous! I think we can all picture what accent I would have said that in. Despite that little dip into the fruitier side of things, I have to say, Thurman has never been hotter. Yowza. Oh, and the rest of the movie is a lot of fun, too. The songs are catchy, but not annoying-get-stuck-in-your-head catchy, which is nice, and the some of the actors really seemed like they were having lots of fun. Keep it gay! I mean, Uma is very attractive. Yes.

NYX. Wow. Great art, great characters, great writing. A quite original and unique take on the Marvel shared-setting, both in terms of depth of the story and its subject matter, and in terms of the style of art; I wish they would do more comics like this one, I think the genre would be the better for it. Now I just need to find the conclusion of the septet, though, I only got to read 1-6!

A while back, kind of around my lowest point in that recent bout of depression, I caught a feature length cartoon, the conclusion to the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion, on late at night, completely randomly. Especially as after I didn't understand what I had watched until after extensive reading of backstory and synopsises (synopsii?), looking back I'm surprised I bothered watching it at all. Convoluted and fractured to the point of being postmodern at times (and I usually intensely dislike postmodernism), by all logic I should have flipped channels in the space of a few minutes.

But for some reason, I was riveted. I could hardly take my eyes from it; when my dad came home from the night shift, I haltingly tried to explain what I knew to him, but stopped when I realized how little that was. And yet still I watched it till I was sitting still after the credits were over, struggling to find some meaning that seemed just beyond my reach, or on the tip of my tongue, or whatever. Anyway, so just coming across that little blurb about the director/creator/dude basing it on his experiences with depression, it got me thinking. Maybe this movie was one of this things where the significance of it all isn't really in the surface story so much at all, but in how it hits you in the back of your head. That is, whether by something Freudian or Jungian symbols or whatever system one might want to look at it, maybe I just really identified with not the shallowest aspects of the story but the underlying, between-the-lines stuff that's not readily apparent at all.

Then that got me thinking, maybe that's how the better aspects of the horror genre work - I suddenly want to go pick apart a good King story or go play Silent Hill.

Google + Shakespeare = I really wish I had this while in school

Ôdishon, with Ishibashi Ryo and Shiina Eihi. Uh. Whoa? Disturbing. Very, very disturbing. In a sense, it was quite reminiscent to me of Mulholland Drive, both in general character and in specific sequences. White was a really bad choice for subtitles in some scenes, though, although that's a nothing-observation. It's hard to talk about it without giving anything away, so I'll say that it's definitely not for the faint of heart, and I'm torn between wishing there was more depth of story and wondering whether that added depth might have taken away from it. Oh, I suppose also I'd be interested to hear whether people thought this was a feminine-empowering movie, or the opposite - I suspect it could be tricky in that regard, like GI Jane.

Fun logic issues started with Theseus' Paradox

And the entry for Ghost in the Shell is rife with interesting starters for philosophical discussion

Conquest of Armageddon, by Jonathan Green. Though there were a few moments that were nice in a cinematic kind of sense, that doesn't go anywhere near far enough to alleviate the not-so-good qualities of this novel. The structure of the narrative for most of it is just plain confusing, for one - for example, I (now) understand that Green was using a combination of flashbacks and dream-sequences for the first third or so, but there is no reason not to delineate those things (as opposed to just blending them all together in a confusing manner). Beyond that, the writing style was excessively wordy to an extreme degree (much to my chagrin to complain about that, as I know I have to keep from doing the same in my writing), which actually wouldn't have been an issue so much were it not for the repetition involved, as well.

I have to say, the 40k shared setting was used nicely, and the novel certainly fits its atmosphere - but if I could I'd write a general letter to authors using that setting to not use the Space Marines; it just seems needlessly difficult to actually make anything but a cardboard-cutout character out of a religious, scripture-spouting zealot. Which the Marines did a lot of in this book. Just not very much character development.

"The unconscious knows no negatives, I was taught when studying Freud. If someone tells me they don't mean to offend me, I know they probably do." - interesting statement - I'm still trying to figure out exactly what the first bit of it means (I mean, the latter part explains it, but it seems there's more to it, maybe)

X-23. Ah, now this was good stuff. Where House of M was certainly epic in scope and had a definite 'wow!' attached to it, this managed to get a similar 'wow!' while being much smaller in its focus - namely, the origin of X-23 before her introduction in the interesting NYX, the more famous character Wolverine's..uh...sister? Clone? Daughter? In any case, while it's a bit gory at times for the average Marvel fare (ie, don't be surprised), it's interesting how much emotional weight can be drawn into this medium (no pun intended).

So I've been feeling really dispassionate lately. Like...neutral. Not really happy or sad or mad or anything. And to be honest, I'm tired of it - I've almost been wanting someone to pick a verbal fight with me or something, just to get me riled up...the trick is, I'm not sure that would even get me going.

In conversations with Ms. Connie, with direction from her I think maybe I realized part of it is self-defense - from myself. I know that there was a specific point when I was recently depressed where I realized how much letting my temper and frustrations etc out of control actually cost me, in details and in the larger scheme, not just in how much pain and trouble I caused externally but how much damage it did to me on various levels. I wonder whether this dispassionateness is me just unconsciously surpressing any sort of...uh...'louder' emotion for fear of repeated pain/damage/trouble/whatever. Hm.

House of M. I believe it was the big crossover event for last year for Marvel (Civil War being the current one), though House of M is more similar to the classic Age of Apocalypse in its tinkering with characters and setting. This one was especially interesting in contrast as instead of a more likely trope of worst-conditions-possible, say, here each of the characters supposedly had the life they really desired. Naturally, what's supposed to be a utopia really ends up not being such, of course, and that's where the story begins, in a way. It's interesting - the utopia aspect of it makes it seem like as horrible as things get, they're always in watercolor (as opposed to, say, the lurid oilpainting AoA was).


Notting Hill, with Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts. Yay guilty-pleasure romantic comedies....though I suspect something could be done here with William Gibson's ideas of the critical-mass of celebrity, perhaps with his novel Idoru and the lunatic romance therein.

Annihilation, by Peter Athans. Second to last in the War of the Spider Queen...uh...septology? The sixth book, anyway. It wasn't my favorite out of this small shared-setting/multiple-author series (that's still the first book), but it's not the worst, either. The writing is good, the action is solid, the themes and tropes that make this series interesting (questions of theology, alternate societal rules, gender issues) are prodded along a little. I think this novel suffered from being the penultimate book, in that it sets up a lot, but doesn't do as much in and of itself because of that. Still, a very solid showing, and it definitely made me look forward to the conclusion.

In honor of the World Cup - balls! You heard me.

Madagascar, with voices of various famous people. Fun! As much as it's kind of a random animated animal movie, I suspect there's a lot in here to be done with close-reading a solid semantic structure out of it. One thing that would depend upon, however, would be deciding what one wanted to work with the animals as representing, which is so broad of an availability as to almost be daunting. One could go mainstream and have the animals be a direct analogue for some social group, say, or go esoteric and make some moral comment on vegetarianism. Or concentrate on the lemur techno. Which I need an mp3 of, because it's stuck in my head. I like to move it move it. I'm dancing, in my head. Oh! And there was a hilarious American Beauty reference, which I was remarkably slow in getting.

Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, by David Sedaris. Thanks to Mr. Andrew for reminding me of this guy/lending me the book! Sedaris is quite an author; this is another of his collection of memoirs/essays/I'm not sure what to call them. Some of them are just funny and satirical; some of them are funny and satirical, and also make you stop, stare off into space, and think for a while as well. Very easy reading, and quite interesting; it'd probably make for a great book to take on a vacation, just in how it spurs new observations of everyday things.

minced oaths - some vaguely interesting lists near the bottom, peppered with trivia; I was kind of surpised somebody put 'feth' in there

Amber and Iron, by Margaret Weis. Ohhh, Margaret, what have you done to this poor, poor setting. It makes me sigh in a melancholy manner. Actually, the setting is still great, rather, I'm really not too keen at all on this particular story I suppose, and its mangled use of that setting and landmark-characters. I'll note that now that I've actually seen an Aussie shephard in action in real life, I actually quite believe the seeming extraordinary behavior of the one in this book - that dog has facial expressions like nothing else, and is intelligent to an eerie degree.

I apparently have 666 MBs in my gmail account. On June 6, 2006. I'm cursed. Or something. Isn't the actual bad number supposed to be 616, though? I think I saw that on a documentary once.

In other news, congratulations to Lee in Warehouse Two; his team placed 77th out of 3300 international teams at the latest big billiards competition in Las Vegas. At his Vegas peak he was up to $47,000 in his pocket; alas, in trying to hit $50,000, he lost a good portion of it. Ah well.

and an article on whether one's abs should be rock-hard, or strong and supple - little bits of interesting trivia in the beginning, yoga exercises in the latter part

and another small psych quote, still pondering its veracity:
"People get anxious about not being able to control their anger or about not knowing how to deal with situations that make them sad. And that is what fear is — the inability to solve the problem that is making you angry or sad."

completely random, found this in an old Phillip Moffitt article about the pysch. of dealing with disappointment:
"First is the creation of a false identity, a you that is solid and never-changing which is continually reinforced by the story. Just by observing yourself closely, you can see that this isn't true and that your ego is really comprised of a group of personalities which are constantly changing.

The second error is that the story-making can create the illusion that your loss is a fresh event when it is actually something that has passed. These two errors combine to lock you into a ghostlike state in which there is no freedom...you have to actively work to see through these errors and to realize that there is no continuing, unchanging person and no experience that is still happening."

Shopgirl, with Steve Martin and Claire Danes. I'm vaguely interested in reading Martin's novel, which this film is based on, but the movie wasn't quite enough to actually interest me. It was quite cute, quite artsy with quality cinematography, quite good acting, and the characters and story were certainly interesting. But, the story as a whole just wasn't...connected well, there was something not very cohesive about the whole thing - which is where my interest in the novel stems from, that is, I think the movie's structure would have worked better in that format.

really tiny art

and finally, the photos from Colorado; they pretty much all turned out to be from the Denver botanical gardens (which so far blew away my other experience with botanical gardens - basically Cleveland - it wasn't even funny, just...sad for Cleveland) and a couple from the Denver aerospace museum.

The Summer of Katya, by Trevanian. Hm, I still can't get over the whole one-name-thing for the author. Anyway, I liked this novel many, many times more than the other novel I've read by him (her?), Shibumi, which admittedly just plain upset me to read. Katya is a whole different ballgame of writing, however, with plenty of witty and snappy repartee. Beyond that, as a thriller (which I'd normally not be very interested in) it quite held my interest and had me guessing right up till the last few pages.

So the illustrious Sensei Tony was giving an introductory talk to the idea of ki last night - both in the somewhat-metaphorical sense, that of extending one's 'intent,' and in the more scientific/practical sense, that of learning to consciously engage muscles and body structure that wouldn't normally be accessed. For example, in the case of the "unbendable arm" trick, if one focuses on keeping their arm straight, it's easily bent, but if one 'extends their intent' to, say, an opposite wall, a little mental trick occurs where the shoulder aligns into a solid frame and one's much larger back muscles are engaged, making it very, very difficult for someone to bend the arm in question.

Anyhoo, my thought in the middle of all of that was to flip not so much the concept of ki, but that certain aspect of it around to meditation and/or general mindset. That is, the idea that there's more that we realize that can be accessed with just a little mental trick of intent within us - whether in our unconscious or 'heart' or otherwise - in the same way that a trick of intent can reshape our bodies and how we use them almost without us realizing. Just something to ponderball, as it were.

Saved!, with Jena Malone and Macauley Culkin. I went into this movie thinking it would just be a shallow satire of fundamentalist Christians, based purely in its jokes, but was pleasantly surprised to find myself really liking some of the characters (especially the adorable Malone and hilarious Culkin) and finding a certain sincerity. Now, one's average fundy probably wouldn't watch this movie, but I firmly believe they should be tricked into watching it if at all possible, and not just for the hilarity of seeing their reaction.

Nice little rundowns of forward and backbends