so i believe the topic of "amusement derived from perusing people's blogs as an interesting way to kill time" (don't deny, everyone does it. it's like reading a harry potter book) has been pretty much beaten to death. yea, it's fun because it gives you perspective, and access to facets of people that otherwise would never have been available. it also has a wierd, voyeuristic, reality-televisionesque appeal to it as well as the whole relate and experience life vicariously through other people thing.
but you know what i've been finding even more interesting lately? sifting through peoples blog archives. granted, maybe i'm arriving late to this party and -- the nosy bastards that you are -- everyone already does this but me. nonetheless, i've been finding that it really fills out the weblog experience.
simply going through my own archives truly gives me a fairly accurate representation of how my life has been, and that's kind of scary, because i've always made a note of keeping personal details out of this blog. sure, it's inevitable that personal, emotional and spiritual colous, are going to tinge every post regardless of how vague or lacking in details they may be. but i had no idea until i really went through my archives of how revealing this thing is about how i'm actually looking at my life, and life in general.
i suppose going through past blog posts should be nothing short of a series of personal revelation if your archives go back enough, and you invest enough of yourself into the site.
and frankly....thats fascinating. that this intimate human progression is on the internet, for the world to see. that i -- that everyone around me -- is changing not just literally before our very eyes....but that there is a record of these changes, available to study, relive and analyze, at the mere click of a mouse.
it's easy to think that we're the same as we were a few years ago, or at the very least marginally different. but i think it wouldn't be a reach to say every 5 or so years, you are going to be a fundementally different person. looking ahead to this summer it's hard to believe in 5 months some of us aren't going to be entirely different people. going through my archives sort of has the same effect on me as watching film of my life go by in time-lapse speed. blurs of images intermingle with poignant, unmistakable memories and mile stones.
something about going through old things....old journal entries, old photo albums. it's the same feeling you get. and when you go through someone's entire archives in one sitting, you end up with a pretty clear impression of them. i think it's kind of neat.
and scary.
blogging just might be the future for preserving cultural history.
or in tandem with mapquest, it might just be the ultimate stalking tool.
or i guess it could be both. now that's impressive.
Feb 27, 2004
Feb 25, 2004
The Christian Left?
religion and politics. there are those who believe they should never mix, and there are those who say its inevitable. i think i stand firmly in between. i guess i'm just particularly annoyed by the image of Christianity that the conservative right, Christian Coalition wing of pundits is giving us. i mean....if the entire purpose of your group is political, i really have to start questioning where the religious part of their group is. you simply can't have goals that are earthly and spiritual at the same time unless you really believe that its God's will. but looking at the track record of the Christian Right to influence politics in any meaningful way reveals a staggering amount of failure and irrelevance from the group other than making a lot of noise in the media. and correct me if i'm wrong, but when God makes a plan, it usually doesn't fail.
now, i'm not judging these folks, but i'm seriously just challenging where they stand on things. i don't understand how someone could say they're a Christian, then vote for president bush because HE'S a Christian, then call it a day.
hello? lets see......if president bush is truly concerned with his faith, how does he rationalize executing more prisoners than any other governer in texas EVER? how does he rationalize sending troops to war in a strategy of "pre-emptive attacks?" how does he justify having those troops occupy a nation that is willing to kill themselves just to kill them, all for the sake of....OIL?? i certainly hope he knows murder is wrong. how does he rationalize being the focalpoint -- while president, no less -- for not just one, but SEVERAL of the greatest corporate scandals in history that have cost hard working americans BILLIONS of dollars while the rich get richer.
and why do the Christian Right insist on supporting the republicans and their war-mongering-oil-swindling-corporate-scandaling candidates? becaaaause.....they say they won't let gay's marry and that abortions are bad.
hm....well.....i've already mentioned on this blog that i have nothing against gay marriages, although abortions are a different matter. that's for another day though.
i guess my point is....it bugs me that the Christian Right portrays the faith in such a shoddy manner. i'm not surprised at all that people like michael moore are offended by, and parody the hypocrisy and idiocy of the "Christian" point of view with scathing insightfulness. that kind of reflection on Christiananity makes me angry.
the Christian Coalition doesn't speak for all Christians. And i wonder why the Christian "Left" hasn't been a more visible presence in washington. Liberal radio is really starting to take off with the continuning rise of the internet and college radio's, as well as the trend towards independent stations for smaller communities (unless Clear Channel has their way...). i think it's important that Christians defend themselves from bad reps. and i'm curious to see if this is going to occur, particularly with the much debated release of Mel Gibson's, The Passian of The Christ, and the discussion this film is raising.
i dunno, just my thoughts for the moment.
now, i'm not judging these folks, but i'm seriously just challenging where they stand on things. i don't understand how someone could say they're a Christian, then vote for president bush because HE'S a Christian, then call it a day.
hello? lets see......if president bush is truly concerned with his faith, how does he rationalize executing more prisoners than any other governer in texas EVER? how does he rationalize sending troops to war in a strategy of "pre-emptive attacks?" how does he justify having those troops occupy a nation that is willing to kill themselves just to kill them, all for the sake of....OIL?? i certainly hope he knows murder is wrong. how does he rationalize being the focalpoint -- while president, no less -- for not just one, but SEVERAL of the greatest corporate scandals in history that have cost hard working americans BILLIONS of dollars while the rich get richer.
and why do the Christian Right insist on supporting the republicans and their war-mongering-oil-swindling-corporate-scandaling candidates? becaaaause.....they say they won't let gay's marry and that abortions are bad.
hm....well.....i've already mentioned on this blog that i have nothing against gay marriages, although abortions are a different matter. that's for another day though.
i guess my point is....it bugs me that the Christian Right portrays the faith in such a shoddy manner. i'm not surprised at all that people like michael moore are offended by, and parody the hypocrisy and idiocy of the "Christian" point of view with scathing insightfulness. that kind of reflection on Christiananity makes me angry.
the Christian Coalition doesn't speak for all Christians. And i wonder why the Christian "Left" hasn't been a more visible presence in washington. Liberal radio is really starting to take off with the continuning rise of the internet and college radio's, as well as the trend towards independent stations for smaller communities (unless Clear Channel has their way...). i think it's important that Christians defend themselves from bad reps. and i'm curious to see if this is going to occur, particularly with the much debated release of Mel Gibson's, The Passian of The Christ, and the discussion this film is raising.
i dunno, just my thoughts for the moment.
Feb 24, 2004
grey tuesday
so, today is "grey tuesday" as declared by musically inclined social activists around the world. hosted and supported by Downhill Battle - music activism, the grey album is a record by dj danger mouse that remixes and samples the entire contents of jay-z's black album with the beatles' white album.
go ahead.
stick it to corporate radio and the media conglomerates.
it'll feel nice.
plus the album's pretty good to be honest. it pays homage to both artists, and DJDM does an awesome job of making jay-z flow better than he actually sounds with some very tight production values. as for the finished product....it's pretty much what you might imagine it sounds like. it's a cutting edge sound and direction for hip-hop, blending rock and rap flawlessly in the sense it should always have been. this is rap-rock, not rock-rap.....nu-metal should hang its head in shame.
(note: i'm still against downloading mp3's illegally. but everyone loves an organized protest here or there. wheeeeee)
go ahead.
stick it to corporate radio and the media conglomerates.
it'll feel nice.
plus the album's pretty good to be honest. it pays homage to both artists, and DJDM does an awesome job of making jay-z flow better than he actually sounds with some very tight production values. as for the finished product....it's pretty much what you might imagine it sounds like. it's a cutting edge sound and direction for hip-hop, blending rock and rap flawlessly in the sense it should always have been. this is rap-rock, not rock-rap.....nu-metal should hang its head in shame.
(note: i'm still against downloading mp3's illegally. but everyone loves an organized protest here or there. wheeeeee)
Feb 19, 2004
avoid spraying in eyes and excessive inhalation
ah, so reading week begins. i look forward to just taking it easy and catching up on sleep.
wrote a couple of midterms this morning. that's always a humbling experience. we'll discuss those another time...
i've been pondering the idea of healthy discussion lately. it seems a lot of times when i interject my opinion into conversations or just in general throw out my thoughts about situations to people, they get awful defensive. at first, i thought it was just the way i said things, since i'm a pretty stubborn person and i can understand how it may seem a lot like i'm pushing my opinions onto others.
i can't help but wonder if lots of people just don't know how to listen though. i mean, honestly.....if we'd just stop being so self-centered once in a while, we'd realize that everyone is entitled to their own thoughts, and if they conflict with yours, then so be it. this doesn't mean however that every frank discussion that involves different opinions has to be some sort of winner take all battle royale. it means that its an opportunity to hear someone out and take their thoughts to heart.
so everyone....learn to shutup once in a while. it's too easy to make everything about ourselves. try to purposely avoid doing that just once this week. tell me it doesn't feel nice.
at least that's my two cents....
wrote a couple of midterms this morning. that's always a humbling experience. we'll discuss those another time...
i've been pondering the idea of healthy discussion lately. it seems a lot of times when i interject my opinion into conversations or just in general throw out my thoughts about situations to people, they get awful defensive. at first, i thought it was just the way i said things, since i'm a pretty stubborn person and i can understand how it may seem a lot like i'm pushing my opinions onto others.
i can't help but wonder if lots of people just don't know how to listen though. i mean, honestly.....if we'd just stop being so self-centered once in a while, we'd realize that everyone is entitled to their own thoughts, and if they conflict with yours, then so be it. this doesn't mean however that every frank discussion that involves different opinions has to be some sort of winner take all battle royale. it means that its an opportunity to hear someone out and take their thoughts to heart.
so everyone....learn to shutup once in a while. it's too easy to make everything about ourselves. try to purposely avoid doing that just once this week. tell me it doesn't feel nice.
at least that's my two cents....
Feb 11, 2004
non-carbonated, sodium-free
i remember at the end of grade ten, i handed wendy my yearbook and she returned it with something along these lines written on the back page:
"hey simon! i don't really know you, but you seem like a nice guy! hope you had a good year!" - wendy
then she drew some hideous hedgehog like creature with clown feet.
now, i'm not telling this story because i'm bitter, or to imply that wendy is a bad yearbook-signer-person. she's not. no, my anecdote is actually a lame attempt to illustrate the unpredictable nature of friendships.
i had no idea that after she butchere....uh....graciously signed, my yearbook, that we'd end up hanging out together all summer, then all through high school, and now....still...well....all the time. nor did i know that we'd be keeping up pretty good contact with each other three and a half years into university, secure in the knowledge that we'll see each other again soon enough, with no fear of drifting away to the point of awkward small talk.
everyone knows that friends come in phases. but i've been thinking if there's any way to know which friends are here to stay, and which ones are destined to move out of your life.
we're living in a phase of our lives where transitions are nearing, changes are coming up and questions run as rampant as the doubt and worry. friends i thought i'd never lose touch with are starting to slip away. friends i never expected to make, i'm starting to build real relationships with. it's a strange thing. but it's not a bad thing. i mean, life goes on.
i figure now is the best time to make memories. things to wax nostalgic about when we're old and grey, getting together once in a blue moon to shoot the breeze about old times and the problem with youths. no point in worrying about who's going to be around tomorrow, just spend more time on today.
i used to think of friends as anchors. but they aren't. they can't be. there's only one anchor in this world, and it's God. outside of Him, there's no such thing as a constant -- an absolute. knowing that gives me perspective i guess. not to take my relationships for granted or appreciate them less, but to want to milk every last drop of goodness out of every second i can spend.
they might not be there tomorrow.
p.s.
wendy eventually wrote some of the sweeter yearbook comments in future years. don't get the wrong impression of her. throughout and beyond her incessant mewing lays a heart of gold.
MEW!
"hey simon! i don't really know you, but you seem like a nice guy! hope you had a good year!" - wendy
then she drew some hideous hedgehog like creature with clown feet.
now, i'm not telling this story because i'm bitter, or to imply that wendy is a bad yearbook-signer-person. she's not. no, my anecdote is actually a lame attempt to illustrate the unpredictable nature of friendships.
i had no idea that after she butchere....uh....graciously signed, my yearbook, that we'd end up hanging out together all summer, then all through high school, and now....still...well....all the time. nor did i know that we'd be keeping up pretty good contact with each other three and a half years into university, secure in the knowledge that we'll see each other again soon enough, with no fear of drifting away to the point of awkward small talk.
everyone knows that friends come in phases. but i've been thinking if there's any way to know which friends are here to stay, and which ones are destined to move out of your life.
we're living in a phase of our lives where transitions are nearing, changes are coming up and questions run as rampant as the doubt and worry. friends i thought i'd never lose touch with are starting to slip away. friends i never expected to make, i'm starting to build real relationships with. it's a strange thing. but it's not a bad thing. i mean, life goes on.
i figure now is the best time to make memories. things to wax nostalgic about when we're old and grey, getting together once in a blue moon to shoot the breeze about old times and the problem with youths. no point in worrying about who's going to be around tomorrow, just spend more time on today.
i used to think of friends as anchors. but they aren't. they can't be. there's only one anchor in this world, and it's God. outside of Him, there's no such thing as a constant -- an absolute. knowing that gives me perspective i guess. not to take my relationships for granted or appreciate them less, but to want to milk every last drop of goodness out of every second i can spend.
they might not be there tomorrow.
p.s.
wendy eventually wrote some of the sweeter yearbook comments in future years. don't get the wrong impression of her. throughout and beyond her incessant mewing lays a heart of gold.
MEW!
Feb 10, 2004
Stewie Griffin (Family Guy) Soundboard
Stewie Griffin Soundboard
i know....i know.....i'm on a link posting rampage. but....this was too good not to share with you guys.
may the crank calling of the girls begin.
i know....i know.....i'm on a link posting rampage. but....this was too good not to share with you guys.
may the crank calling of the girls begin.
Punk-O-Matic - Presented by Flash Player
Punk-O-Matic
waste even MORE time! hehheh....i think this is particularly fun. if only there was a vocal track
waste even MORE time! hehheh....i think this is particularly fun. if only there was a vocal track
amusing wastes of time
Escape!
Penguin Bashing
my current record for the penguin game is 566.7, but what's more impressive is that i did it on like, my 20th try, so i haven't spent TOO much time on it.
but i could. which is bad. so to sleep i go.
....oh, and 28.325 seconds on the block one. that one took considerably longer.......
Penguin Bashing
my current record for the penguin game is 566.7, but what's more impressive is that i did it on like, my 20th try, so i haven't spent TOO much time on it.
but i could. which is bad. so to sleep i go.
....oh, and 28.325 seconds on the block one. that one took considerably longer.......
Feb 6, 2004
SPAM mail
Super Viagra - CIALIS is Here
Dubbed "The Weekend Pill"
AVAILABLE FACTORY DIRECT
AT A FRACTION OF THE COST
* LONGER LIFE
Up to 36 hours
compared to 4 hours
for viagra
* ACTS FASTER
from as little as 15 minutes
compared to 60 minutes for viagra
* BEST SEX EVER
solid erection and only whenever you need it
With cialis YOU are in control
"Cialis works in 15 minutes and lasts for 36 hours giving you
strong healthy erections whenever you want or need them!"
Securely and discreetly online.
Avoid the embarrassment of waiting in doctor's office
....ok...so...only whenever you want or need them.....but the effects last 36 hours? i'm terribly afraid to ponder who really needs or wants a 36 hour erection.
and it's called "the weekend pill"? do they mean that literally? so i suppose going to church that weekend is out of the question....?
well...i guess you couuuld. but.....
*shudder*
on the bright side, at least you save yourself the embarrassment of waiting in a doctors office. i know I for one have on more than one occasion been asked what i was doing at the doctors, and sheepishly shrugged as i revealed my secret problem:
"a mild fever"
you have no idea how deeply it hurts me everytime i get a dirty look in return.
i'm only a red blooded human male dammit!! if you prick me, do i not bleed?!
hehhehheh....prick.....
yeaaa.....so if you never hear from me again, God probably struck me down.
enh. i had a good run.
Dubbed "The Weekend Pill"
AVAILABLE FACTORY DIRECT
AT A FRACTION OF THE COST
* LONGER LIFE
Up to 36 hours
compared to 4 hours
for viagra
* ACTS FASTER
from as little as 15 minutes
compared to 60 minutes for viagra
* BEST SEX EVER
solid erection and only whenever you need it
With cialis YOU are in control
"Cialis works in 15 minutes and lasts for 36 hours giving you
strong healthy erections whenever you want or need them!"
Securely and discreetly online.
Avoid the embarrassment of waiting in doctor's office
....ok...so...only whenever you want or need them.....but the effects last 36 hours? i'm terribly afraid to ponder who really needs or wants a 36 hour erection.
and it's called "the weekend pill"? do they mean that literally? so i suppose going to church that weekend is out of the question....?
well...i guess you couuuld. but.....
*shudder*
on the bright side, at least you save yourself the embarrassment of waiting in a doctors office. i know I for one have on more than one occasion been asked what i was doing at the doctors, and sheepishly shrugged as i revealed my secret problem:
"a mild fever"
you have no idea how deeply it hurts me everytime i get a dirty look in return.
i'm only a red blooded human male dammit!! if you prick me, do i not bleed?!
hehhehheh....prick.....
yeaaa.....so if you never hear from me again, God probably struck me down.
enh. i had a good run.
Feb 4, 2004
Feb 2, 2004
hm....
so.....apparently, my lecture room has wireless internet.
this is a most exciting discovery....
this is a most exciting discovery....
Feb 1, 2004
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