Why do humans live in temperate climates? We are children of the sun...Humanity thrives on the warmth of the sun and we know it. We are warm blooded mammals. You can even see it in our mythology. And I don't mean our historic mythology, but our current. See Kill Bill Vol.2 for an explanation by Bill himself about how comic book heroes tell the underlying story of our humanity, and he also uses the archetypal character: Superman.
Bill uses Superman as an example of a critique on the human race because his alter ego is actually his meek human form and Superman is actually who he is. But my whole point is that Superman needs the yellow sun to survive. He literally thrives and derives all his superpowers from the rays of the sun. Our mythology even points to our reliance on the warmth of the sun, yet humanity lives in such frigid places. Yes, I'm bitter about it being cold...but not for much longer.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Thursday, December 30, 2010
A Rose is a Rose is a Rose
So many people are moved by smells, aromas, odors, fragrances. It is only human. But the odd thing about that and myself is that the scents that move me seem to be a bit different than others. Most people seem to be moved by the scent of flowers, the scent of fresh air, the scent of tea, the scent of trees, or the scent of perfume and cologne. I am generally not, especially the last one because there are only two options for cologne or perfume.
1. It is masking a body odor, for which it needs to be layered on to the point of singing my nostrils from 100 yards away.
2. It is masking a natural smell of a human being.
I have to say my sense of smell is pretty dulled by a chronic sinus infection and ridiculously small nasal channels. I say this because it means I generally don't smell things at all unless they are right under my nose.
That being said, the smells that generally move me fit into two distinct categories.
Women & Food
Food is on the list because it necessarily has to get close enough for me to smell it in order for me to eat it.
The other one is why perfume pisses me off so much. I am a fan of the way normal girls smell. Granted, there are always a few people that simply need to shower more often...but for the most part, normal girls' aromas are just interesting to me in their variety. Actually, they are collectively my favorite aroma. For me, they are also practically a Madeleine to Proust.
1. It is masking a body odor, for which it needs to be layered on to the point of singing my nostrils from 100 yards away.
2. It is masking a natural smell of a human being.
I have to say my sense of smell is pretty dulled by a chronic sinus infection and ridiculously small nasal channels. I say this because it means I generally don't smell things at all unless they are right under my nose.
That being said, the smells that generally move me fit into two distinct categories.
Women & Food
Food is on the list because it necessarily has to get close enough for me to smell it in order for me to eat it.
The other one is why perfume pisses me off so much. I am a fan of the way normal girls smell. Granted, there are always a few people that simply need to shower more often...but for the most part, normal girls' aromas are just interesting to me in their variety. Actually, they are collectively my favorite aroma. For me, they are also practically a Madeleine to Proust.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Playing GOD
My friend has an odd pet peeve. Whenever anyone comments on an odd event occurring by saying, "What are the odds of that happening?!" He says "1 to 1, obviously...because it just happened." This statement is eerily how I feel about free will and timescapes. Since time is essentially linear, only one thing can ever happen; what does. In this vein, I was thinking about the phrase "playing GOD" that always seems to crop up in political and social debates from time to time.
I guess it will be hard to take an objective stance since most atheists would label me religious and most religious people would label me atheist. But I just don't believe in the phrase at all. It means absolutely nothing to me. It is hollow. Especially the ideals it is supposed to defend and the rhetoric used behind it. My favorite is the abortion argument. People say abortions should never be performed because it is playing GOD. Whatever stand you take on abortion, I have to take issue with the logic of being against it for this particular reason. The reason I take issue with it is that they use revisionist history to prove it.
As in the classic: "What if Jesus had been aborted?" or for the secular: "What if Gandhi had been aborted?"
This kind of logic pisses me off. I usually think about some other slogans to point out this flawed logic. "What if Adolph Hitler had been aborted?" or for the non-western "What if Mao Zedong had been aborted?" It's just as plausible but on the other side of the logical fence they laid down.
My personal musing on this subject is also that abortion is just simply another event in life in the upper echelon scheme of things. Big picture-wise, it is on par with pre-meditated murder, getting a cup of coffee, breathing, going to work, embezzling 10,000,000 from a company, or conning someone out of their life savings. They are all things that happen. So if this revisionist history logic works, my slogan would simply be:
What if Joseph knocked on the wooden door to their hut because his friend had caught the biggest fish ever seen in Galilee while Gabriel was about to impregnate Mary with Jesus and she had never met Gabriel?
In this vein, NO ONE SHOULD EVER BE ALLOWED TO FISH! That would be playing GOD and therefore, would have led to the interference of Jesus being conceived!
I guess it will be hard to take an objective stance since most atheists would label me religious and most religious people would label me atheist. But I just don't believe in the phrase at all. It means absolutely nothing to me. It is hollow. Especially the ideals it is supposed to defend and the rhetoric used behind it. My favorite is the abortion argument. People say abortions should never be performed because it is playing GOD. Whatever stand you take on abortion, I have to take issue with the logic of being against it for this particular reason. The reason I take issue with it is that they use revisionist history to prove it.
As in the classic: "What if Jesus had been aborted?" or for the secular: "What if Gandhi had been aborted?"
This kind of logic pisses me off. I usually think about some other slogans to point out this flawed logic. "What if Adolph Hitler had been aborted?" or for the non-western "What if Mao Zedong had been aborted?" It's just as plausible but on the other side of the logical fence they laid down.
My personal musing on this subject is also that abortion is just simply another event in life in the upper echelon scheme of things. Big picture-wise, it is on par with pre-meditated murder, getting a cup of coffee, breathing, going to work, embezzling 10,000,000 from a company, or conning someone out of their life savings. They are all things that happen. So if this revisionist history logic works, my slogan would simply be:
What if Joseph knocked on the wooden door to their hut because his friend had caught the biggest fish ever seen in Galilee while Gabriel was about to impregnate Mary with Jesus and she had never met Gabriel?
In this vein, NO ONE SHOULD EVER BE ALLOWED TO FISH! That would be playing GOD and therefore, would have led to the interference of Jesus being conceived!
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
If You were a God, What Kind of God would you Be?
Would you be a Christian God and have multiple personalities? Would you need people to praise you and meddle in the affairs of mere earthlings? Would you screw with people under the guise of knowing what's best for them?
Would you be an Atheist God? Would you not believe in your own existence? Would you simply think you weren't a God even though you knew you existed yourself? Would you need objective proof for every thought you had?
Would you be a Jewish God? Would you be a burning bush?
Would be an Agnostic God? Would you question your own existence? Would you doubt things that may be true? Would you be malleable to the extent of never being able to make a firm decision?
Would you be a Greek God? Would you live on a mountain and play with humanity to teach them lessons? Would you be vulnerable to other Gods? Would you be mischievous and ignore ethics in order to do everything according to your own whims?
Would you be a Roman God? Would you take the history of some other Gods, change your name and masquerade it as your own idea?
Would you be a Hindu God? Would you have lots of arms and keep changing forms like a chameleon?
Would you be a Buddhist God? Would you be all about balance? Would you acknowledge the existence of other forces outside of yourself in an effort to gain ultimate knowledge and the balance of the universe? Would you willingly forego extremes?
Would you be a Taoist God? Would you be unconventional? Would you simply be an amorphous system of guidelines? Would you lay down power that you inherently had and not use it at all?
Would you be a Deist God? Would you make your universe and then just let it go without meddling any further in anything...simply watching your creation unfold without any further input? Would you be apathetic and lazy?
Would you be an Islamic God? Would you be bipolar and misunderstood? Would you preach peace and then watch half your followers blow people up for that peace?
Would you be a Shinto God? Would you connect to life through animals and natural forces?
Would you be Unitarian? Would you say that everyone is ok no matter what they believe, even if they didn't believe in you or believed that someone else was you?
Would you be Mormon? Would you deny yourself of so many things that you could experience simply because you can?
Would you be Wiccan? Would you fly around on a broomstick?
Would you be a Rastafarian? Would you smoke weed and be polygamous?
Would you be a Scientologist? Would you....Would you.....uhm....would you believe ridiculous crap?
What kind of God would you be?
Would you be an Atheist God? Would you not believe in your own existence? Would you simply think you weren't a God even though you knew you existed yourself? Would you need objective proof for every thought you had?
Would you be a Jewish God? Would you be a burning bush?
Would be an Agnostic God? Would you question your own existence? Would you doubt things that may be true? Would you be malleable to the extent of never being able to make a firm decision?
Would you be a Greek God? Would you live on a mountain and play with humanity to teach them lessons? Would you be vulnerable to other Gods? Would you be mischievous and ignore ethics in order to do everything according to your own whims?
Would you be a Roman God? Would you take the history of some other Gods, change your name and masquerade it as your own idea?
Would you be a Hindu God? Would you have lots of arms and keep changing forms like a chameleon?
Would you be a Buddhist God? Would you be all about balance? Would you acknowledge the existence of other forces outside of yourself in an effort to gain ultimate knowledge and the balance of the universe? Would you willingly forego extremes?
Would you be a Taoist God? Would you be unconventional? Would you simply be an amorphous system of guidelines? Would you lay down power that you inherently had and not use it at all?
Would you be a Deist God? Would you make your universe and then just let it go without meddling any further in anything...simply watching your creation unfold without any further input? Would you be apathetic and lazy?
Would you be an Islamic God? Would you be bipolar and misunderstood? Would you preach peace and then watch half your followers blow people up for that peace?
Would you be a Shinto God? Would you connect to life through animals and natural forces?
Would you be Unitarian? Would you say that everyone is ok no matter what they believe, even if they didn't believe in you or believed that someone else was you?
Would you be Mormon? Would you deny yourself of so many things that you could experience simply because you can?
Would you be Wiccan? Would you fly around on a broomstick?
Would you be a Rastafarian? Would you smoke weed and be polygamous?
Would you be a Scientologist? Would you....Would you.....uhm....would you believe ridiculous crap?
What kind of God would you be?
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Mighty Midget
Danny Woodhead might be one of my favorite football players.
There's a reason the New England Patriots are my favorite football team. Actually there are a few. One, everyone seems to hate them, which to me spells greatness. On a stage like the NFL, if people don't hate you, you just aren't good enough at your job to hate. Take the hapless Buffalo Bills as an example: hell, they are in the same division as the Patriots and I don't even worry about them.
The real thing I love about them though, is that although they are passionate, they aren't brash. They go out every week and talk through their play rather than their mouths. It may actually get comical at times how little they say and their "party line" answers that flow from the five or six words Coach Belichick regularly says in post-game press conferences. As big of a stage and as large of a spotlight that is shone on every NFL team, they understand that you have to understate things just so they aren't overblown.
Anyway, Woodhead, to me, is a throwback (only to the early 2000's) Patriot. He reminds me of Troy Brown. He will do anything asked of him, understate it, and play larger than he talks. I mean, in the post-game conference last night he was asked what he did on his 50-yard catch and run. He gave all the credit to the line and blocks thrown by receivers and then said "I just had to run with the ball" To be honest, that would normally be an understatement in the NFL. Add in the fact that he is MY HEIGHT, which means essentially a midget, and it becomes incredibly understated. He is running full speed against people a foot taller and hundred or so pounds heavier than him on AVERAGE. He runs like he's 6'2" and 225 pounds instead of 5'8" and 192 pounds. This is the kind of player that exemplifies the New England Patriots and why I root for them.
There's a reason the New England Patriots are my favorite football team. Actually there are a few. One, everyone seems to hate them, which to me spells greatness. On a stage like the NFL, if people don't hate you, you just aren't good enough at your job to hate. Take the hapless Buffalo Bills as an example: hell, they are in the same division as the Patriots and I don't even worry about them.
The real thing I love about them though, is that although they are passionate, they aren't brash. They go out every week and talk through their play rather than their mouths. It may actually get comical at times how little they say and their "party line" answers that flow from the five or six words Coach Belichick regularly says in post-game press conferences. As big of a stage and as large of a spotlight that is shone on every NFL team, they understand that you have to understate things just so they aren't overblown.
Anyway, Woodhead, to me, is a throwback (only to the early 2000's) Patriot. He reminds me of Troy Brown. He will do anything asked of him, understate it, and play larger than he talks. I mean, in the post-game conference last night he was asked what he did on his 50-yard catch and run. He gave all the credit to the line and blocks thrown by receivers and then said "I just had to run with the ball" To be honest, that would normally be an understatement in the NFL. Add in the fact that he is MY HEIGHT, which means essentially a midget, and it becomes incredibly understated. He is running full speed against people a foot taller and hundred or so pounds heavier than him on AVERAGE. He runs like he's 6'2" and 225 pounds instead of 5'8" and 192 pounds. This is the kind of player that exemplifies the New England Patriots and why I root for them.
Monday, December 6, 2010
A Spider that Does Kegels
I love those moments when you are hanging out with someone that you have been friends with for a long time and they say or do something that is a hallmark of your connection. Something that makes you sit back and think "That right there, is why I am friends with you".
I was in Subway the other day. Thrilling, I know. When my friend Joe suddenly remarks on the line of spider web that is connected from one end of the ceiling to the other. Bear in mind that this is a good 15-20 feet of distance from one end to the other. He proceeds to wonder aloud (I'm sure to the utter bewilderment of those around us) how in the world a spider was able to shoot web across that kind of distance.
It must have been a super spider or something to shoot a singular line of web across that gulf. How in the world did it manage to do such a thing? I mean, I get it when I see a web made like a bridge, but this is just one long strand over the distance of 20 feet!
Of course, this is where I chime in.
I bet that spider does Kegels.
This is the thing friendships are made of.
I was in Subway the other day. Thrilling, I know. When my friend Joe suddenly remarks on the line of spider web that is connected from one end of the ceiling to the other. Bear in mind that this is a good 15-20 feet of distance from one end to the other. He proceeds to wonder aloud (I'm sure to the utter bewilderment of those around us) how in the world a spider was able to shoot web across that kind of distance.
It must have been a super spider or something to shoot a singular line of web across that gulf. How in the world did it manage to do such a thing? I mean, I get it when I see a web made like a bridge, but this is just one long strand over the distance of 20 feet!
Of course, this is where I chime in.
I bet that spider does Kegels.
This is the thing friendships are made of.
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