Snakes On The Brain
I'm afraid, my dear, I have snakes within my brain,
Bees in my ears, my dear, and monkeys in my eyes,
Against my better judgment that I should refrain,
But there's a bat, my dear, in the belfry that cries,
There's a blue turnip in the spider web, my dear,
The pigs have landed and Lucifer bought a coat,
Alice1 is in the garden with Dinah2, I fear,
For which, my dear, there seems to be no antidote.
And yet there's no alarm for which there's no excuse,
There's no travesty upon which I must report,
For the sky here is a gorgeous shade of fulvous3,
And here, my dear, my neighbors are never obtuse,
The moments are simply filled with snappy retort,
And ev'rything int'resting isn't frivolous.
_____________________________
1. The main character in Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland.
2. Alice's cat in Alice in Wonderland.
3. A dull yellow-brown color.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Monday, November 5, 2012
Sloth: The Annotated Edition
Sloth
I'll make you an offer you can never refuse,
I'll remove the devoir1 and desire to choose,
It's really quite simple to select the right door,
An offer that's certain to allure you for more.
The tocsin2 is ringing; don't worry and don't fight,
For Pavlov3 was brilliant and Cannon4, too, had light,
But Milgram5 was special, and Janis6 would be brave7,
Just ponder the offer, and endorse8 it, my knave9.
I'll appeal your senses, that moral rope you cling,
But dawdle not, instead to contract10 you must spring,
(I, also, can alleve11 your burden of that thing.)
No distress, no worries, no fever of your's grown,
I'll protect you against the terror at home sown,
So perpend12 the offer, the favor yet not known.
_______________________________
1. Duty.
2. Bell, alarm, object to be rung.
3. Ivan Petrovich Pavlov, Russian physiologist, 1904 Nobel Prize winner for his work
on the physiology of digestion; made famous for discovering the condition reflex,and
having a profound effect on the foundations of Psychology and Behavioral Science.
4. William Bradford Cannon, First to describe the fight or flight response.
5. Stanley Milgram, Yale Professor of Psychology noted for his research in the 1960's
on a person's obedience to authority figures.
6. Irving Janis, Research Psychologist at Yale University from 1947 until 1985, noted
for his research involving and describing the social psychology concept of
Groupthink.
7. Archaic, Proud.
8. Doublespeak, Refers to both support and signing as in a letter or contract.
9. Archaic, Servant.
10. Doublespeak, Refers to both a legal agreement between parties and to acquire as
in the catching of a contagion. (virus, bacteria, infection, etc.)
11. Relieve, alleviate.
12. Consider.
Invino Veritas
11/5/12
EOF
I'll make you an offer you can never refuse,
I'll remove the devoir1 and desire to choose,
It's really quite simple to select the right door,
An offer that's certain to allure you for more.
The tocsin2 is ringing; don't worry and don't fight,
For Pavlov3 was brilliant and Cannon4, too, had light,
But Milgram5 was special, and Janis6 would be brave7,
Just ponder the offer, and endorse8 it, my knave9.
I'll appeal your senses, that moral rope you cling,
But dawdle not, instead to contract10 you must spring,
(I, also, can alleve11 your burden of that thing.)
No distress, no worries, no fever of your's grown,
I'll protect you against the terror at home sown,
So perpend12 the offer, the favor yet not known.
_______________________________
1. Duty.
2. Bell, alarm, object to be rung.
3. Ivan Petrovich Pavlov, Russian physiologist, 1904 Nobel Prize winner for his work
on the physiology of digestion; made famous for discovering the condition reflex,and
having a profound effect on the foundations of Psychology and Behavioral Science.
4. William Bradford Cannon, First to describe the fight or flight response.
5. Stanley Milgram, Yale Professor of Psychology noted for his research in the 1960's
on a person's obedience to authority figures.
6. Irving Janis, Research Psychologist at Yale University from 1947 until 1985, noted
for his research involving and describing the social psychology concept of
Groupthink.
7. Archaic, Proud.
8. Doublespeak, Refers to both support and signing as in a letter or contract.
9. Archaic, Servant.
10. Doublespeak, Refers to both a legal agreement between parties and to acquire as
in the catching of a contagion. (virus, bacteria, infection, etc.)
11. Relieve, alleviate.
12. Consider.
Invino Veritas
11/5/12
EOF
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
The Opening of the Eye
The Opening of the Eye
It was his eye that made me understand,
Understand his intentions and devotions,
His followings and adherences,
Understand the fuel of his furnaces,
Bubbling from within his chest like magma,
Ready to spray his soul upon the hapless passersby.
It was in his eye that I saw his heart,
That I saw wrapped in that fluctuating ring of brown,
The tarnished, animated coil of rusty iron,
Once shiny like a pearl but now dull and absorbent..
That I saw the snails and dogs, for some reason,
Arguing with one another over pancakes,
And whether or not they'd get to drive the chariot.
It was about his eye that I saw the swarms,
The muddled masses of flies buzzing about,
Attempting to make sense of the fight or flight,
All the while driven toward the soft orange glow,
Of the flickering cushion of heat from the pit below.
It was by his eye that the shadow was cast,
The ominous semipresence flowing over the warm crust,
The hardened earth that became the corruption.
Spewing forth from the center like cold oil,
Languidly, knowing that its prey cannot escape.
And yet I stubbornly confronted the demon,
I bore the brunt of its firey breath and its windy torment,
Its verbal lashings and aura of searing malcontent,
I bore the banner of kings and queens,
Of philosophers and wizards arcane,
Of warriors and heroes alike,
And I bore my blade of champions,
My hilted lightning bolt of Zeus' ire and might,
My shining testament to fortified will and effort,
As it surged through my feeble hands not born,
To wield the power, the fury of gods and titans.
But I nonetheless did not heed the warnings,
Did not heed the onslaught of the modus operandi,
Of my foe and its terrible thirst for blood and damnation,
It's dull, blackened attributive talent and desire,
Hidden within its own bibulous edge of darkness.
No, it was not me.
Though I bore the brunt,
Though I bore the sight,
Though I bore the sword,
I bore no such ordainment;
Only the will of the innocent,
The stubborn resolve of the proud many.
And I fell from the top as a great flame encircled me,
Like a comet tail flashing, streaking across the sky,
It was my iron-gray eye that became tarnished,
And the pit that opened around the heart was mine,
As my banner flaked to dust and my blade crumbled,
The voices of my ancestors diminished,
The wisdom and knowledge of the ages subsided,
My vision became cloudy and my heart burned.
Yea, it was with a thunderous clap that I landed,
Erupting in both earth and water, steam and ash,
fire and flame, and yes, even concussion and wind.
There, in that deep, dark recess within the womb,
Of Gaia did I lay, dormant and my lights diminished,
Like the light of distant stars traveling afar,
And yet, that faded luminescence glittered like crystal,
Like the many eyes of Gaia seen in the rivers,
And streams of the world, in the reflections caught,
In the sparkles of dewdrops caught in a spider's web,
Just shadows of the true form as Plato might say.
But for all its marvel, this tiny, faltering light,
Could not be extinguished and was reborn.
It grew with intensity, with prideful determination,
That overtook painful memory,
The bones healed, the skin restitched itself,
The blood replenished and the will refortified,
And the parapets of my mind were rebuilt,
With the virtues of my people,
With the wisdom and knowledge forgot,
With the thunderous countenance of giants,
Titans who lived in the whispers of every myth,
And every proverbial promise, every twist,
Within the caverns of the collective consciousness,
Persevering throughout time and space,
Over lip and tongue, through spirit and mind.
It was then that I knew I'd found the source,
The rich vein of completion and of certitude,
To be mined alongside the blood and sweat of my brothers,
The neverending supply of armor that I had once sought,
That idea that had fueled me into thinking that demons,
Could corrupt the virtuous, the selfless.
Alas, my eyes were opened.
Invino Veritas
10/30/12
EOF
It was his eye that made me understand,
Understand his intentions and devotions,
His followings and adherences,
Understand the fuel of his furnaces,
Bubbling from within his chest like magma,
Ready to spray his soul upon the hapless passersby.
It was in his eye that I saw his heart,
That I saw wrapped in that fluctuating ring of brown,
The tarnished, animated coil of rusty iron,
Once shiny like a pearl but now dull and absorbent..
That I saw the snails and dogs, for some reason,
Arguing with one another over pancakes,
And whether or not they'd get to drive the chariot.
It was about his eye that I saw the swarms,
The muddled masses of flies buzzing about,
Attempting to make sense of the fight or flight,
All the while driven toward the soft orange glow,
Of the flickering cushion of heat from the pit below.
It was by his eye that the shadow was cast,
The ominous semipresence flowing over the warm crust,
The hardened earth that became the corruption.
Spewing forth from the center like cold oil,
Languidly, knowing that its prey cannot escape.
And yet I stubbornly confronted the demon,
I bore the brunt of its firey breath and its windy torment,
Its verbal lashings and aura of searing malcontent,
I bore the banner of kings and queens,
Of philosophers and wizards arcane,
Of warriors and heroes alike,
And I bore my blade of champions,
My hilted lightning bolt of Zeus' ire and might,
My shining testament to fortified will and effort,
As it surged through my feeble hands not born,
To wield the power, the fury of gods and titans.
But I nonetheless did not heed the warnings,
Did not heed the onslaught of the modus operandi,
Of my foe and its terrible thirst for blood and damnation,
It's dull, blackened attributive talent and desire,
Hidden within its own bibulous edge of darkness.
No, it was not me.
Though I bore the brunt,
Though I bore the sight,
Though I bore the sword,
I bore no such ordainment;
Only the will of the innocent,
The stubborn resolve of the proud many.
And I fell from the top as a great flame encircled me,
Like a comet tail flashing, streaking across the sky,
It was my iron-gray eye that became tarnished,
And the pit that opened around the heart was mine,
As my banner flaked to dust and my blade crumbled,
The voices of my ancestors diminished,
The wisdom and knowledge of the ages subsided,
My vision became cloudy and my heart burned.
Yea, it was with a thunderous clap that I landed,
Erupting in both earth and water, steam and ash,
fire and flame, and yes, even concussion and wind.
There, in that deep, dark recess within the womb,
Of Gaia did I lay, dormant and my lights diminished,
Like the light of distant stars traveling afar,
And yet, that faded luminescence glittered like crystal,
Like the many eyes of Gaia seen in the rivers,
And streams of the world, in the reflections caught,
In the sparkles of dewdrops caught in a spider's web,
Just shadows of the true form as Plato might say.
But for all its marvel, this tiny, faltering light,
Could not be extinguished and was reborn.
It grew with intensity, with prideful determination,
That overtook painful memory,
The bones healed, the skin restitched itself,
The blood replenished and the will refortified,
And the parapets of my mind were rebuilt,
With the virtues of my people,
With the wisdom and knowledge forgot,
With the thunderous countenance of giants,
Titans who lived in the whispers of every myth,
And every proverbial promise, every twist,
Within the caverns of the collective consciousness,
Persevering throughout time and space,
Over lip and tongue, through spirit and mind.
It was then that I knew I'd found the source,
The rich vein of completion and of certitude,
To be mined alongside the blood and sweat of my brothers,
The neverending supply of armor that I had once sought,
That idea that had fueled me into thinking that demons,
Could corrupt the virtuous, the selfless.
Alas, my eyes were opened.
Invino Veritas
10/30/12
EOF
Monday, October 22, 2012
Daring to Dream or How to Stop Worrying About Finances and Start Loving the Death Ray: Act I: Scene II
[Marvin and Nergel enjoy a morning breakfast. A robot occasionally
enters the room while they talk to serve them, but then quickly
disappears offstage without a word.The androgynous robot wears
a bizarre servant's outfit with the top half of a traditional butler's
coat and the bottom half of a prototypical french-maid dress.]
Nergal: [Eating, startled by the servant robot] Oh my god! When the
hell are you finally going to decide on whether or not that thing
is a girl or a boy?
Marvin: If I do that then how else wll get the enjoyment of seeing you
curse and howl at breakfast time? By the way, try the kipper.
Ashley [Points at the robot with his knife] is a fantastic chef.
Nergel: I see you've already decided.
Marvin: What do you mean?
Nergel: Forgive me, Master, but Ashley is a girl's name.
Marvin: Pardon me, but Ashley can be either a boy's or girl's name.
Nergel: Perhaps you might consider providing it with either a dress or a
proper suit.
Marvin: Oh, I don't know. It seems kind of...approriate - not just to
the robot thing but to the whole being a mad scientist thing.
Nergel: [Under his breath] Well, they won't ever mistake you for
being sane, that's for sure.
Marvin: Hmm?
Nergel: [Shoving some food in his mouth and shaking his head as
he points to his mouth, and then smiles while he chews
and rubs his belly.]
Marvin: See? I told you! That kipper is divine.
Nergel: [Swallowing loudly] Delicious!
[There is a momentary lull in the conversation before
Marvin begins.]
Marvin: [Checking items off a list with a pencil.] Steel couplings,
check! Uranium Power Generator, check! Uranium, check!
Heavenly substance...umm hmm. [Contemplating, confused]
Nergel, do we have any heavenly anything down in the the
lab?
Nergel: You mean besides the slice of heaven I buttered my toast with
this morning? [Marvin smirks] I'll have to check. Be right back.
[Exit Nergel]
[Marvin looks over his designs as the doorbell rings. Marvin
exits the stage to answer the door. Shortly thereafter, muffled
conversation can be heard as Marvin returns to the dining room
table with Dr. Kimmel of the North American Guild of
Unconventional Scientists.]
Marvin: I can't begin to tell you what a marvelous surprise it is to see you,
as always, Doctor. Tell me, what brings you to Carouge?
Kimmel: Mostly guild business, I'm afraid, though a little site seeing isn't
completely out of the question, Doctor.
Marvin: Oh? Am I on the list of site seeing or business?
Kimmel: Business, I'm afraid.
Marvin: Oh, well, please have a seat. Ashley! Tea!
[There's a pause before the robot enters with a tray and two
cups of steaming tea. Ashley serves them both and then
exits back from where it came.]
Kimmel: [Raises an eyebrow at the robot and its garb.]
Marvin, what is that?
Marvin: I thought you might like some tea.
Kimmel: No, Marvin, the robot.
Marvin: Oh, that's Ashley.
Kimmel: [Frustrated] Marvin...I hope this isn't the sort of thing with which
you hope to represent the guild this quarter.
Marvin: Oh, heavens no, Eldrich! Ashley is purely for domestic use only.
Kimmel: [Relieved] In that case, I will refrain from further questions about
all of that business. Actually, the guild has quite another concern,
Marvin. Word has it that you have a new project brewing in your
laboratory. The guild is concerned that this...death ray is it?
Marvin: Yes, but how....?
Kimmel: Yes, this death ray may be a bit of an outdated idea. Gone are the
days of taking over the world or cyclopean atomic robots with
laser eyes, Marvin. The guild is more concerned with innovation
rather than imitation.
Marvin: What do you mean? This death ray is going to be the death ray to
end all death rays!
Kimmel: But of course, Marvin. They all are.
Marvin: At the very least, hear me out!
Kimmel: Very well, Marvin. But please don't expect too much out of me.
Marvin: Ok, certainly we've all heard about death rays, shrink rays, cosmic
rays and, yes, even heat rays. But when was the last time you heard
of...are you ready for it? The heavenly death ray!
Kimmel: [Blankly at first, then confused.] A heavenly death ray? You do
do realize that doesn't make any sense, right?
Marvin: Why do people keep saying that?
Kimmel: Marvin, go ahead and make your "heavenly" death ray. Have a
fantastic time as a tired old genre of scientist. But, please, for
your sake, for the guild's sake, I urge you to rethink your decision
about this death ray.
Marvin: I can't believe what you're saying to me!
Kimmel: Marvin, don't take it so hard.
Marvin: Don't take it so hard? Don't take it so hard? You bear the message
of misfortune, stomping on my dreams, and all you have to say is
'don't take it so hard'?
Kimmel: Now, calm down, Marvin.
Marvin: Don't ask me to calm down you...you charlatan! You fraud!
[Mockingly] Unconventional scientists, indeed! Let me tell you
something, Doctor Kimmel: there is nothing unconventional about
doing what everyone else is doing! And I sure as hell wouldn't have
become a scientist, much less a mad scientist, if all I wanted to
do was become an asterisk in a forgotten high school science book.
I, for one, am not afraid to dream! So, get out of here, Doctor
Kimmel. And take your presumptive pomp with you!
Kimmel: Well, I...
Marvin: [Standing up] You what? Ashley! Show Doctor Kimmel the door!
Good day to you, sir!
[Ashely enters the room and directs Doctor Kimmel offstage]
Kimmel: Of course, you realize....
Marvin: I said good day, sir!
[Exit Kimmel]
[Enter Nergel]
Nergel: Master? Are you allright? I heard the noise....
Marvin: [Sarcastically and curt] Splendid! Dr. Kimmel was just visiting.
Nergel: Dr. Kimmel? From the guild?
Marvin: The very one, Nergel. I don't think we'll be getting any more mail
from that guild. Moreover, I don't think we'll be getting anymore of
the guild's funding. By the way, did you happen to find anything
marked heavenly?
Nergel: No, Master, I'm sorry.
Marvin: Ahh, no matter.
Nergel: Maybe your brother..hey, wait! Your brother's key!
Marvin: What about it?
Nergel: Perhaps, this is fate telling you to find what that key unlocks.
Marvin: [Enlightenened] Nergel! My god, man, you're right!
Nergel: Of course I am, Master. But first you should wire your brother and
verify his intentions?
Marvin: Quite right, Nergel! Quite Right! Ready my carriage! We're going to
to make a phone call!
Nergel: Right away, Master.
[Exit Nergel]
[Fade to Black]
[End Scene II]
Invino Veritas
10/22/12
EOF
enters the room while they talk to serve them, but then quickly
disappears offstage without a word.The androgynous robot wears
a bizarre servant's outfit with the top half of a traditional butler's
coat and the bottom half of a prototypical french-maid dress.]
Nergal: [Eating, startled by the servant robot] Oh my god! When the
hell are you finally going to decide on whether or not that thing
is a girl or a boy?
Marvin: If I do that then how else wll get the enjoyment of seeing you
curse and howl at breakfast time? By the way, try the kipper.
Ashley [Points at the robot with his knife] is a fantastic chef.
Nergel: I see you've already decided.
Marvin: What do you mean?
Nergel: Forgive me, Master, but Ashley is a girl's name.
Marvin: Pardon me, but Ashley can be either a boy's or girl's name.
Nergel: Perhaps you might consider providing it with either a dress or a
proper suit.
Marvin: Oh, I don't know. It seems kind of...approriate - not just to
the robot thing but to the whole being a mad scientist thing.
Nergel: [Under his breath] Well, they won't ever mistake you for
being sane, that's for sure.
Marvin: Hmm?
Nergel: [Shoving some food in his mouth and shaking his head as
he points to his mouth, and then smiles while he chews
and rubs his belly.]
Marvin: See? I told you! That kipper is divine.
Nergel: [Swallowing loudly] Delicious!
[There is a momentary lull in the conversation before
Marvin begins.]
Marvin: [Checking items off a list with a pencil.] Steel couplings,
check! Uranium Power Generator, check! Uranium, check!
Heavenly substance...umm hmm. [Contemplating, confused]
Nergel, do we have any heavenly anything down in the the
lab?
Nergel: You mean besides the slice of heaven I buttered my toast with
this morning? [Marvin smirks] I'll have to check. Be right back.
[Exit Nergel]
[Marvin looks over his designs as the doorbell rings. Marvin
exits the stage to answer the door. Shortly thereafter, muffled
conversation can be heard as Marvin returns to the dining room
table with Dr. Kimmel of the North American Guild of
Unconventional Scientists.]
Marvin: I can't begin to tell you what a marvelous surprise it is to see you,
as always, Doctor. Tell me, what brings you to Carouge?
Kimmel: Mostly guild business, I'm afraid, though a little site seeing isn't
completely out of the question, Doctor.
Marvin: Oh? Am I on the list of site seeing or business?
Kimmel: Business, I'm afraid.
Marvin: Oh, well, please have a seat. Ashley! Tea!
[There's a pause before the robot enters with a tray and two
cups of steaming tea. Ashley serves them both and then
exits back from where it came.]
Kimmel: [Raises an eyebrow at the robot and its garb.]
Marvin, what is that?
Marvin: I thought you might like some tea.
Kimmel: No, Marvin, the robot.
Marvin: Oh, that's Ashley.
Kimmel: [Frustrated] Marvin...I hope this isn't the sort of thing with which
you hope to represent the guild this quarter.
Marvin: Oh, heavens no, Eldrich! Ashley is purely for domestic use only.
Kimmel: [Relieved] In that case, I will refrain from further questions about
all of that business. Actually, the guild has quite another concern,
Marvin. Word has it that you have a new project brewing in your
laboratory. The guild is concerned that this...death ray is it?
Marvin: Yes, but how....?
Kimmel: Yes, this death ray may be a bit of an outdated idea. Gone are the
days of taking over the world or cyclopean atomic robots with
laser eyes, Marvin. The guild is more concerned with innovation
rather than imitation.
Marvin: What do you mean? This death ray is going to be the death ray to
end all death rays!
Kimmel: But of course, Marvin. They all are.
Marvin: At the very least, hear me out!
Kimmel: Very well, Marvin. But please don't expect too much out of me.
Marvin: Ok, certainly we've all heard about death rays, shrink rays, cosmic
rays and, yes, even heat rays. But when was the last time you heard
of...are you ready for it? The heavenly death ray!
Kimmel: [Blankly at first, then confused.] A heavenly death ray? You do
do realize that doesn't make any sense, right?
Marvin: Why do people keep saying that?
Kimmel: Marvin, go ahead and make your "heavenly" death ray. Have a
fantastic time as a tired old genre of scientist. But, please, for
your sake, for the guild's sake, I urge you to rethink your decision
about this death ray.
Marvin: I can't believe what you're saying to me!
Kimmel: Marvin, don't take it so hard.
Marvin: Don't take it so hard? Don't take it so hard? You bear the message
of misfortune, stomping on my dreams, and all you have to say is
'don't take it so hard'?
Kimmel: Now, calm down, Marvin.
Marvin: Don't ask me to calm down you...you charlatan! You fraud!
[Mockingly] Unconventional scientists, indeed! Let me tell you
something, Doctor Kimmel: there is nothing unconventional about
doing what everyone else is doing! And I sure as hell wouldn't have
become a scientist, much less a mad scientist, if all I wanted to
do was become an asterisk in a forgotten high school science book.
I, for one, am not afraid to dream! So, get out of here, Doctor
Kimmel. And take your presumptive pomp with you!
Kimmel: Well, I...
Marvin: [Standing up] You what? Ashley! Show Doctor Kimmel the door!
Good day to you, sir!
[Ashely enters the room and directs Doctor Kimmel offstage]
Kimmel: Of course, you realize....
Marvin: I said good day, sir!
[Exit Kimmel]
[Enter Nergel]
Nergel: Master? Are you allright? I heard the noise....
Marvin: [Sarcastically and curt] Splendid! Dr. Kimmel was just visiting.
Nergel: Dr. Kimmel? From the guild?
Marvin: The very one, Nergel. I don't think we'll be getting any more mail
from that guild. Moreover, I don't think we'll be getting anymore of
the guild's funding. By the way, did you happen to find anything
marked heavenly?
Nergel: No, Master, I'm sorry.
Marvin: Ahh, no matter.
Nergel: Maybe your brother..hey, wait! Your brother's key!
Marvin: What about it?
Nergel: Perhaps, this is fate telling you to find what that key unlocks.
Marvin: [Enlightenened] Nergel! My god, man, you're right!
Nergel: Of course I am, Master. But first you should wire your brother and
verify his intentions?
Marvin: Quite right, Nergel! Quite Right! Ready my carriage! We're going to
to make a phone call!
Nergel: Right away, Master.
[Exit Nergel]
[Fade to Black]
[End Scene II]
Invino Veritas
10/22/12
EOF
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Daring to Dream or How to Stop Worrying About Finances and Start Loving the Death Ray
[Marvin, the mad scientist, and his trusty sidekick, Nergel are in
the workshop. Nergel is dusting the arcane machines while whistling
a happy tune. Marvin sits at a small, round table off-center of the
scene mulling over his latest design.]
Marvin: Nergel! I think I have it!
Nergel: What's that, Master?
Marvin: Behold!
[Holds up the design]
It's a new evil death ray!
Nergel: An "evil" death ray?
Marvin: Yes! An evil death ray!
[Cackles maniacally]
Nergel: Pardon me, Master, but wouldn't it be better to simply refer to
it as a "death ray" ?
Marvin: Huh?
Nergel: Well, sir, forgive me but, death rays are neither new nor heavenly.
Marvin: But it's not heavenly; it's evil!
Nergel: Yes, Master, I only meant that to say its evil is, well, frankly,
superfluous.
Marvin: [Blankly] All I heard was it's super.
Nergel: Not super, Master. Superfluous.
Marvin: Yes, exactly!
Nergel: Master, it's not necessary to refer to it as an evil death ray because
there's nothing about being a death ray that makes it anything but
evil. You can't have a heavenly or otherwise goodly death ray!
Marvin: [Crumpling his design into a ball]
My god Nergel! You're a genius! I'll make a heavenly death ray!
[Stands and kisses him on the cheek in elation]
Nergel: [Frustrated, Rolls his eyes]
As you wish, sir.
Marvin: This is fantastic! Finally, some validation, some direction, some
purpose! Say it with me, Nergel: Heavenly Death Ray! Can't
you imagine?
Nergel: Well, no, not actually...
Marvin: Oh, quit being so negative! Have some faith. Have some vision!
Dare to dream, man!
Nergel: It certainly would be daring, I'm afraid, Master.
Marvin: I knew you'd see it my way! We can put it over here next to the
Discombobulator. What color should I make it?
Nergel: [Cynically] Oh, pink. Definitely, pink.
Marvin: Pink?
Nergel: With green polka dots.
Marvin: Polka dots?
[Raises an eyebrow]
Nergel: [Remembering suddenly]
Oh! Hey! The mail came. You got a few letters.
[Retrieves five letters from within his jacket]
I see your brother mailed you again.
Marvin: [Snatching the mail from Nergel]
Let's see...bills, bills, Metaphysical American renewal form...
[Sets the rebewal form aside]
Hmmph! Oh, and lookee here! [Emphasizing to Nergel]
A letter from the North American Guild of Unconventional
Scientists!
Nergel: And just how much money are they asking for this time?
Marvin: [Smirking] I'll have you know, my esteemed assistant, that
Dr. Eldrich Von Kimmel is a dear colleague and friend of mine,
and a great scientist.
Nergel: [Sarcastically] Oh, my apologies, Master! It must have been
my proclivity towards historic correctness in these matters that
capitulated my insolence.
Marvin: [Staring at Nergel, contemplatively] You're right. We'd better
take a look at the letter from my brother, Jeremy, first.
[Opens the letter and begins reading]
My dear brother yadda yadda...glad you're doing well blah blah
happy birthday and so on and so on. [Pauses] Oh, here we are:
Here is my donation to your endeavors to make the world a
better place. I enclose...[Suprised and annoyed] fifty dollars.
Fifty dollars? What does he expect me to build with this?
[Reading some more] In addition, I also enclose this finely
crafted key as I have no doubt that when the time comes, you
will be able to unlock the door to what it is that you are looking
for in your world of science. You're loving brother, Jeremy.
[Holds up the key and looks at it]
Weird, though as keys go, it's a nice key.
Nergel: I suppose that's true, Master. A pretty metaphorical trinket
indeed, sir.
Marvin: Yeah, well, it's probably just that: metaphorical. He probably
thinks he's being poignant and clever. My brother, the great
Necromancer! Raiser of the dead, wielder of dark dreams,
and magician from beyond, bestows upon me...this key. Well,
poppycock! Still, I wonder what it might go to. [Ponders]
Nergel: Perhaps it unlocks a chest of some kind, or perhaps a door.
Marvin: Who knows? It could be any one of a number of doors in this
old house. There are over one hundred rooms in this old castle
and I probably haven't seen twenty of them. This old place was
built a long time ago and I'm sure there are any number of buried
mysteries hidden inside its crumbling walls. No matter, though.
We've got a death ray to build! Nergel! Ready my carriage! We're
going to the hardware store. I need supplies!
Nergel: As you wish, Master.
[Exit Nergel]
[Fade to black]
[End Scene]
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Iota
Iota
Bears don't purr,
And lions do not bleat,
Ducks have bills,
Snakes bear no feet.,
Birds have feathers,
And sharks eat meat,
Be who you are,
Be what you be.
Tigers don't pretend,
Elephants don't forget,
Wolverines don't bluff,
Or make good pets,
Eels don't swindle,
Nor make risky bets,
They are what they are,
They be what they be.
Viruses invade,
And fungus spreads,
Molds grow stalks,
And sheep have keds,
Bacteria live on fingers,
And children's heads,
They are what they are.
And they will always be.
Invino Veritas
10/3/12
EOF
Bears don't purr,
And lions do not bleat,
Ducks have bills,
Snakes bear no feet.,
Birds have feathers,
And sharks eat meat,
Be who you are,
Be what you be.
Tigers don't pretend,
Elephants don't forget,
Wolverines don't bluff,
Or make good pets,
Eels don't swindle,
Nor make risky bets,
They are what they are,
They be what they be.
Viruses invade,
And fungus spreads,
Molds grow stalks,
And sheep have keds,
Bacteria live on fingers,
And children's heads,
They are what they are.
And they will always be.
Invino Veritas
10/3/12
EOF
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
The Indelicate Sound of Thunder
[Zeus, King of the Gods, lounges around the throne room in a state of despair
and loss, plagued by boredom as he sighs over again while sipping ambrosia.
Looking out the opening in the wall is his wife, Hera, Queen of the Gods.
Hera has a scowl upon her face as she crosses her arms and stares a laser-
guided line of sight out the window towards the ground and the land of
the mortals. ]
Zeus: [Sighing] By my brother's mantle, Hera, I am bored! Struck am I as
the belly of Uranus by Eris' morning light. Why, I'm so bored, I could
simply....[Pauses]
Hera: [Distracted] Hmm?
Zeus: Hell, I don't know what I'd do to be quite honest. But it would be
certainly either fantastic or tremendous - that I can assure you!
Hera: Yes, dear. Tremendous. Me too.
Zeus: Hera? Aren't you listening to me? I'm bored! In these last ten thousand
or so years, I swear I have done everything! [Mumbling to himself]
Atleast I think so....
Hera: [Turning] Oh, quit being so morose, Zeus! Surely you haven't done
everyone!
Zeus: [Caught off-guard] Everyone?
Hera: [Coyly] Hmm?
Zeus: [Frustrated, waves his hands] Nevermind! It doesn't matter! I must
have entertainment!
Hera: You could always wash the chariot....
Zeus: [Smirks]
Hera: [Eggingly] Oh! I know!
Zeus: What? What is it, woman!?
Hera: You could mop the palace!
[Zeus folds his arms angrily and stares at Hera as she incitefully smiles
at him and bats her eyelashes at him.]
Zeus: Oh, hardee har har. While I'm at it, I might as well prune the bushes!
Hera: Well, I don't think we have to worry about that around here.
Zeus: Damn right, Hera! You know why? Because I am the king of the...
[Realizes Hera's doublespeak]..Hey! Wait a minute! That is not...
Hera: [Sternly] Zeus! Listen to me! I have work to do. Go outside and play.
Don't you have subjects? Go tend to them! I'm sure there's one that
deserves your attention!
Zeus: Fine! As you wish, my [Mockingly] Queen.
[Exit Zeus]
Hera: Finally!
[Hera sighs heavily and turns to the window, staring back down towards
the ground below Mount Olympus. Occaisonally she makes gestures of
arcane significance, seeming to smile devilishly as she is pleased with
her handiwork.]
[Enter Hephaestus]
Hephaestus: Hera! As requested, mother, your golden bathing vessel is
complete.
Hera: [Rolls her eyes at the intrusion] Thank you, Hephaestus. There are
no other requests of you right now. You may leave.
Hephaestus: I'll take my leave in that case.
[Hephaestus moves towards the hallway, but is caught by Hera]
Hera: [Stopping and turning] Hephaestus...?
Hephaestus: [Turning] Yes, mother?
Hera: Hephaestus, tell me something? How is Aphrodite?
Hephaestus: How's that, Hera? How's Aphrodite?
[Hephaestus re-enters the room, approaching Hera]
Hera: I mean are you two...happy? I mean, how do you and Aphrodite
fare after these many years? Good, I hope?
Hephaestus: [Smiling] Mother, when I rise every morning it is Apollo's
big brilliant orb there hanging in the sky, but to me I see only
Aphrodite. She is the light that shines from my furnace's fire, the
flame that dances over every setting and hilt that graces my foundry.
It is because of that her visage never fades. She is always first when
I rise and last when the day ends as I rest my head in Artemis' silver
light. You want to know how we fare? I can only speak of myself as
I am wary and know of nature, but I can say with certainty that I fare
well, mother. I fare well.
Hera: Son, I don't think you've ever told me that.
Hepheastus: Mother, I don't believe you've ever asked.
Hera: [Tearing] Oh, my son....!
Hephaestus: What is it, mother?
Hera: I've been a fool, Hephaestus. I abandoned your father when he needed me. Now,
knowing your father, I may very well have cut out my own heart with a dagger
fit for his grip. No wonder he does te things that he does. All these years I thought
that he did it to spite me or perhaps it was just his nature. But I see now my error.
Hephaestus: Mother, it is true that love is an investment in someone other than yourself.
Hera: When did you get so wise, Hephaestus?
Hephaestus: Wise? No, mother, not wise. I just had a good teacher, I guess.
[Hephaestus smiles at Hera, embracing his mother]
Hera: [Tearfully chuckling] Go, Hepheastus. Go home to your wife, and love her. And
if you see your father, tell him...tell him don't worry about the chariot.
Hephaestus: What?
Hera: Don't ask, he'll know what I'm talking about.
Hephaestus: Ok, mother. Be well.
[Exit Hephaestus]
[Hera grabs a goblet of ambrosia, sipping occasionally and staring out the window
with a distant stare. Her gaze seems a million miles away, but then shifts her line
of sight, cursing and pointing a finger back down to the ground. He anger at the
mortals below returns as she puts her goblet down and starts to gesture again.]
Hera: Oh, no you don't, Peleus! I see you down there hiding in the bushes!
[Makes a pointing gesture toward the world below as Zeus returns
with a clap of thunder, arms akimbo and proud of himself; Enter Zeus.]
Zeus: [Brushing olive twigs and flower petals off his body] Ahh! Fantastic! Exhilarating!
Hera: [Startled] Zeus! Where did you come from?
Zeus: Oh, my dove, you should have been there! There was dancing, music, something
called 'Karaoke' --
Hera: [Raises an eyebrow; Zeus takes notice]
Zeus: I know! I was totally the same way! But all it is, dearest, is singing the songs of
other people and gods. Sounds dumb, I know, but it can be quite fun. At first,
I wasn't sure, but then I realized I was the best singer there!
Hera: [Sits on Zeus' lap and hugs him]
Zeus: What's this? [Cautious] Wait a minute. What do you want me to do?
Hera: Nothing, I swear! I'm just glad you're back.
Zeus: Really?
Hera: [Smiles and kisses him on the cheek] Promise, my king.
Zeus: Well then, in that case, hail to the king, baby. Hail to the king.
[Fade to black]
Hera: Zeus?
Zeus: Yes, my dear?
Hera: Why do you smell like nymphs and dryads?
[End Act]
Invino Veritas
10/2/12
EOF
Monday, October 1, 2012
Corsair
Corsair
Reindeer games and heart-shaped candy,
Tricks, not treats, tikes namby-pamby
Sugar and spice, everything nice,
Children are cruel;
That is my advice.
Cherry surprise waiting inside,
Promised you dreams, instead he lied,
Snips and snails and puppy dog tails,
Children are cruel,
Tragic'ly pale.
Pizza bones and some cabernet,
Will make the nightmares go away,
Unless, of course, you have forgot,
People are cruel,
To those distraught.
So, gild your children's claws and spines,
Brandish wrath, judgment divine,
Thence villian's bones scattered astray,
Became you cruel,
At last, that day.
Invino Veritas
10/1/12
Reindeer games and heart-shaped candy,
Tricks, not treats, tikes namby-pamby
Sugar and spice, everything nice,
Children are cruel;
That is my advice.
Cherry surprise waiting inside,
Promised you dreams, instead he lied,
Snips and snails and puppy dog tails,
Children are cruel,
Tragic'ly pale.
Pizza bones and some cabernet,
Will make the nightmares go away,
Unless, of course, you have forgot,
People are cruel,
To those distraught.
So, gild your children's claws and spines,
Brandish wrath, judgment divine,
Thence villian's bones scattered astray,
Became you cruel,
At last, that day.
Invino Veritas
10/1/12
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
305 and 4 Away
305 and 4 Away
305 and 4 away,
Day to day in a way,
That does not deviate nor allay,
But instead shall delay,
For tomorrow,
Not today,
(or so they might say),
Before it's taken away,
Where the truth turned gray,
Liberty drifted astray,
And the earners lost their pay.
Above the graves they pray,
Its bones jutting from the torn and shredded fray,
Of wars and taxes from yesterday,
And the survived remember when,
It was just 305 and 4 away,
Wondering not why the sun,
Could never stay.
EOF
Invino Veritas
8/22/12
305 and 4 away,
Day to day in a way,
That does not deviate nor allay,
But instead shall delay,
For tomorrow,
Not today,
(or so they might say),
Before it's taken away,
Where the truth turned gray,
Liberty drifted astray,
And the earners lost their pay.
Above the graves they pray,
Its bones jutting from the torn and shredded fray,
Of wars and taxes from yesterday,
And the survived remember when,
It was just 305 and 4 away,
Wondering not why the sun,
Could never stay.
EOF
Invino Veritas
8/22/12
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Slipstream
Slipstream
Somewhere between the birds and the bees,
The official decrees and the nuns who say "please."
Between the air and the breeze,
Between the woods and the trees,
In the social disease,
On the hands and the knees,
Beneath the cries and the pleas,
In the place of the freeze,
Forgotten between the yous and the mes,
And the usses and wes,
Riddled within the x, y, and zs,
The unfathomable keys,
Resist, in darkness, to be.
Invino Veritas
5/1/12
EOF
Somewhere between the birds and the bees,
The official decrees and the nuns who say "please."
Between the air and the breeze,
Between the woods and the trees,
In the social disease,
On the hands and the knees,
Beneath the cries and the pleas,
In the place of the freeze,
Forgotten between the yous and the mes,
And the usses and wes,
Riddled within the x, y, and zs,
The unfathomable keys,
Resist, in darkness, to be.
Invino Veritas
5/1/12
EOF
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
The Morality of the Two Wrongs
As long as I have been cognizant of my own reality and have had the ability to listen and interpret speech, the old adage "two wrongs don't make a right" has been a part of my proverbial upbringing. I was reared with the idea of reciprocity. Do unto others. You get what you give. Walk a mile in someone else's shoes. It all boils down to this universal, idea of reciprocity. But in an attempt to be more specific, I felt the need to define concretely this seemingly human construct, this concept of 'morality'. Well, it turns out I'm not the only one who thought about morality in a more definable sense, either. Psychologist Jonathan Haidt, in a 2008 TED talk entitled Jonathan Haidt On the Moral Roots of Liberals and Conservatives, identified and defined five universal "foundations of morality". Let's explore each of these:
Harm / Care
As mammals, Haidt explains, we are all wired to"bond with others, care for others, feel compassion for others - especially the weak and vulnerable - [and] gives us very strong feelings about those who cause harm." These feelings and emotions we feel about those who do harm to people generally shows up in each of us in the form of fear, anger, or shock. Typically, we describe those individuals that are either devoid or lacking of these feelings as having a disconnection, a lack of "moral fiber", or lacking compassion. We attach negativity to their identifiers, to those who display these behaviors; We refer to them as unbalanced, apish, inhumane, primitive, and, in some cases, even pathological.
Fairness / Reciprocity
While there seems to be "ambiguous" evidence for reciprocity and fairness in the rest of the animal kingdom, it is easily observable in humans and very much present in culture, society, and humanity as a whole. Most of us have heard and understood the simplicity of its meaning in such parables as ones found in various bibles and religious texts. But to say that 'we reap what we sow' is as historically tell-tale and common as was the implications of Homer's Odyssey during the time of the Greek Empire. It describes where we come from and from what we evolved. Reciprocity is the remnants of the birth of mankind from a savage world wrought with predation and catastrophe, one from which we we lived as we fought to survive long ago. It was necessary to identify enemies, perhaps, and a simple act of reciprocity was a way to elicit a positive, useful, or otherwise compatible behavior from another.
Ingroup / Loyalty
Likely leftover from when we began to live in tribes and bands as nomads, human beings have a strong sense of loyalty. Since ancient times, to be cast out of society was to punish. Oedipus cast himself out of Thebes as punishment for his actions in Sophocles famous play, Oedipus Rex. When people act as criminals, we take them out of society and lock them away in prisons as punishment. We are a communal species by nature. Hermits are regarded as strange, foreign, disturbed, crazy, eclectic, unrefined, and unconventional. The familiar saying, "it's always the quiet ones" refers to the belief that those who disconnect from their fellow human beings seem to perform the worst acts as evidenced by David Berkowitz, the famous 'Son of Sam' serial killer from 1976 and 1977. But tribal behavior is part of our competitive nature, too, alludes Haidt as he shows a group of people in a football stadium and say, "even when we don't have [tribes], we make them because it's fun."
Authority / Respect
While observers of animal species can see evidence of submissive behavior in a wide variety of species, human beings are the only species that seems to have alternative motivations for such behavior other than dominion and control. While the desire for power over another person is certainly a powerful motivator for many (not to mention a violation of the compassion aspect of morality), morality comes into play when we experience "voluntary forms of deference and even sometimes love." in the instances where we realize that we are wrong and someone else is right in an argument, we often submit to the truth wielded by another. It is a common belief and understanding that societies authorize elders to speak out about certain topics because their experiences are well respected. Consider, if you will, thefollowing quote from the 1997 film, Amistad, as spoken by the character of John Adams (Anthony Hopkins) to the US Supreme Court:
James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson,
George Washington... John Adams. We've long resisted asking you for
guidance. Perhaps we have feared in doing so, we might acknowledge that our
individuality, which we so, so revere, is not entirely our own. Perhaps we've
feared an... an appeal to you might be taken for weakness. But, we've come to
understand, finally, that this is not so. We understand now, we've been made to
understand, and to embrace the understanding... that who we are *is* who we
were. We desperately need your strength and wisdom to triumph over our fears,
our prejudices, ourselves. Give us the courage to do what is right. And if it
means civil war? Then let it come. And when it does, may it be, finally, the last
battle of the American Revolution.
Purity / Sanctity
The concepts of purity and sanctity are historically regarded in terms of sex and chastity. The traditional, albeit largely mythical, view of chivalrous knights are that they rescued chaste princesses and damsels in distress. Until she ate the fruit of the tree in the Garden of Eden, Eve was innocent and pure. After, Eve then saw that she was naked and became ashamed. Haidt regards this as a typically conservative view, but recognizes that this eternal, sacred quest for purity is one that can be found by liberals in food. "Food is becoming extremely moralized, and a lot of it is about purity and what you're willing to touch and put into your body" Haidt says, standing in front of an advertisement selling organic fruit juice. A common view of hippies in the 1960's and early 1970's were of a group of young people who wanted to "live off the land" and "get back to nature", believing that they would be rewarded in some sort of way in the long term. Either way, the body remains a temple of sorts, and should not be defiled or suffer acts of blasphemy, metaphorically speaking.
Ok, I admit that may have been a bit long. But that brings us back to the idea of reciprocity. See? I'm not the only one who believes that reciprocity is something that is characteristic of a moral mindset. This brings us back to the original question: why is it that two wrongs do not make a right? Well, at this point, we can take a couple of approaches: 1.) we can use the mathematical approach, or 2.) we can take what I will call The Moral Law of Reciprocity approach as reciprocity is explained above.
The Mathematical Approach
In simple math, a negative number added to another negative number cannot yield a positive number; it directs the count in a negative direction, always. On the other hand, a positive number added to a negative number does the same thing from the perspective of the positive number. However, only two positive numbers added together can be positive. This is the course of logic with the idea that "two wrongs don't make a right". The cause and result relationship between morality and opposing behaviors is in the negativity of the two behaviors, which repel each other and are, therefore, incompatible and incapable of combining to create anything but a negative result.
The Moral Law of Reciprocity
Recognizing that all things that are amoral because they are intrinsically amoral rather than because someone or something has deemed them as such, reciprocity is also true by this fashion. We don't go around murdering people because someone told us it is bad, but because it is bad, in and of itself. Likewise, if we want to be treated well, we have a moral obligation to treat others well. This truth is self evident. In the case of the "two wrongs" argument. each opposing wrong is, in and of itself, wrong; there is nothing good or true about either of them. Without a positive instance present, there can be no good to come out of them. Goodness does not create itself. Goodness doesn't spring from nothingness. Now, this doesn't mean that reciprocity of negativity is good because, well, two wrong don't equal a right. But also, reciprocity is only good if it is the result of something that doesn't violate the other tenets of morality, such as Haidt's harm / care. In this opposing view, it becomes not reciprocity but rather vengeance, vindication, compromise, or a unilateral result. In other words, the result can only be neutral or bad if both causes aren't good. Therefore, The Moral Law of Reciprocity states that reciprocity is a.) inherently good, b.) constructed of elements that are good, and c.) can only end with a positive result.
Invino Veritas
4/24/12
EOF
Harm / Care
As mammals, Haidt explains, we are all wired to"bond with others, care for others, feel compassion for others - especially the weak and vulnerable - [and] gives us very strong feelings about those who cause harm." These feelings and emotions we feel about those who do harm to people generally shows up in each of us in the form of fear, anger, or shock. Typically, we describe those individuals that are either devoid or lacking of these feelings as having a disconnection, a lack of "moral fiber", or lacking compassion. We attach negativity to their identifiers, to those who display these behaviors; We refer to them as unbalanced, apish, inhumane, primitive, and, in some cases, even pathological.
Fairness / Reciprocity
While there seems to be "ambiguous" evidence for reciprocity and fairness in the rest of the animal kingdom, it is easily observable in humans and very much present in culture, society, and humanity as a whole. Most of us have heard and understood the simplicity of its meaning in such parables as ones found in various bibles and religious texts. But to say that 'we reap what we sow' is as historically tell-tale and common as was the implications of Homer's Odyssey during the time of the Greek Empire. It describes where we come from and from what we evolved. Reciprocity is the remnants of the birth of mankind from a savage world wrought with predation and catastrophe, one from which we we lived as we fought to survive long ago. It was necessary to identify enemies, perhaps, and a simple act of reciprocity was a way to elicit a positive, useful, or otherwise compatible behavior from another.
Ingroup / Loyalty
Likely leftover from when we began to live in tribes and bands as nomads, human beings have a strong sense of loyalty. Since ancient times, to be cast out of society was to punish. Oedipus cast himself out of Thebes as punishment for his actions in Sophocles famous play, Oedipus Rex. When people act as criminals, we take them out of society and lock them away in prisons as punishment. We are a communal species by nature. Hermits are regarded as strange, foreign, disturbed, crazy, eclectic, unrefined, and unconventional. The familiar saying, "it's always the quiet ones" refers to the belief that those who disconnect from their fellow human beings seem to perform the worst acts as evidenced by David Berkowitz, the famous 'Son of Sam' serial killer from 1976 and 1977. But tribal behavior is part of our competitive nature, too, alludes Haidt as he shows a group of people in a football stadium and say, "even when we don't have [tribes], we make them because it's fun."
Authority / Respect
While observers of animal species can see evidence of submissive behavior in a wide variety of species, human beings are the only species that seems to have alternative motivations for such behavior other than dominion and control. While the desire for power over another person is certainly a powerful motivator for many (not to mention a violation of the compassion aspect of morality), morality comes into play when we experience "voluntary forms of deference and even sometimes love." in the instances where we realize that we are wrong and someone else is right in an argument, we often submit to the truth wielded by another. It is a common belief and understanding that societies authorize elders to speak out about certain topics because their experiences are well respected. Consider, if you will, thefollowing quote from the 1997 film, Amistad, as spoken by the character of John Adams (Anthony Hopkins) to the US Supreme Court:
James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson,
George Washington... John Adams. We've long resisted asking you for
guidance. Perhaps we have feared in doing so, we might acknowledge that our
individuality, which we so, so revere, is not entirely our own. Perhaps we've
feared an... an appeal to you might be taken for weakness. But, we've come to
understand, finally, that this is not so. We understand now, we've been made to
understand, and to embrace the understanding... that who we are *is* who we
were. We desperately need your strength and wisdom to triumph over our fears,
our prejudices, ourselves. Give us the courage to do what is right. And if it
means civil war? Then let it come. And when it does, may it be, finally, the last
battle of the American Revolution.
Purity / Sanctity
The concepts of purity and sanctity are historically regarded in terms of sex and chastity. The traditional, albeit largely mythical, view of chivalrous knights are that they rescued chaste princesses and damsels in distress. Until she ate the fruit of the tree in the Garden of Eden, Eve was innocent and pure. After, Eve then saw that she was naked and became ashamed. Haidt regards this as a typically conservative view, but recognizes that this eternal, sacred quest for purity is one that can be found by liberals in food. "Food is becoming extremely moralized, and a lot of it is about purity and what you're willing to touch and put into your body" Haidt says, standing in front of an advertisement selling organic fruit juice. A common view of hippies in the 1960's and early 1970's were of a group of young people who wanted to "live off the land" and "get back to nature", believing that they would be rewarded in some sort of way in the long term. Either way, the body remains a temple of sorts, and should not be defiled or suffer acts of blasphemy, metaphorically speaking.
Ok, I admit that may have been a bit long. But that brings us back to the idea of reciprocity. See? I'm not the only one who believes that reciprocity is something that is characteristic of a moral mindset. This brings us back to the original question: why is it that two wrongs do not make a right? Well, at this point, we can take a couple of approaches: 1.) we can use the mathematical approach, or 2.) we can take what I will call The Moral Law of Reciprocity approach as reciprocity is explained above.
The Mathematical Approach
In simple math, a negative number added to another negative number cannot yield a positive number; it directs the count in a negative direction, always. On the other hand, a positive number added to a negative number does the same thing from the perspective of the positive number. However, only two positive numbers added together can be positive. This is the course of logic with the idea that "two wrongs don't make a right". The cause and result relationship between morality and opposing behaviors is in the negativity of the two behaviors, which repel each other and are, therefore, incompatible and incapable of combining to create anything but a negative result.
The Moral Law of Reciprocity
Recognizing that all things that are amoral because they are intrinsically amoral rather than because someone or something has deemed them as such, reciprocity is also true by this fashion. We don't go around murdering people because someone told us it is bad, but because it is bad, in and of itself. Likewise, if we want to be treated well, we have a moral obligation to treat others well. This truth is self evident. In the case of the "two wrongs" argument. each opposing wrong is, in and of itself, wrong; there is nothing good or true about either of them. Without a positive instance present, there can be no good to come out of them. Goodness does not create itself. Goodness doesn't spring from nothingness. Now, this doesn't mean that reciprocity of negativity is good because, well, two wrong don't equal a right. But also, reciprocity is only good if it is the result of something that doesn't violate the other tenets of morality, such as Haidt's harm / care. In this opposing view, it becomes not reciprocity but rather vengeance, vindication, compromise, or a unilateral result. In other words, the result can only be neutral or bad if both causes aren't good. Therefore, The Moral Law of Reciprocity states that reciprocity is a.) inherently good, b.) constructed of elements that are good, and c.) can only end with a positive result.
Invino Veritas
4/24/12
EOF
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Two Epiphanic Interjections
Id Quod Sequitur
Explore, discover, and to educate,
Innovate, progress, and perpetuate,
Did where with what by who,
And how at when and why by you.
Here within forms the question,
There without leads to reason,
Here at last reveals the lesson,
Where withal changes season,
There we go, together, forward,
'Ere, alas, to stumble ever onward.
From the quandary to the journey,
Advancing forth from the learning,
Launching, probing and ascending,
Streaming, screaming, and transcending.
------------------------------------------------------
Piggyback
It was not you,
Who bore the whip,
Nor bore the plough,
Who bore the sweat.
Upon your brow.
It was not you,
Who braved the stone,
Nor braved the heat,
Who cut the stone,
Nice and neat.
No, it was not you,
Who lived here first,
With buffalo,
Nor lost your land,
Your kin in tow.
And it was not you,
Who lived in camps,
While warriors fought,
For the freedom,
Once you sought.
But it was you,
Who piggybacked,
And gathered round,
Crying foul,
From town to town.
And it was you,
Who hitched a ride,
Upon the backs,
Of generations lost,
To fuel attacks.
Oh, but it was you,
Who hopped aboard,
The freedoms gained,
The glories found,
And blood that drained.
And it was you,
Who followed then,
The sheep in line,
Your fork in hand,
For Frankenstein.
------------------------------------------------------
Invino Veritas
4/12/12
EOF
Thursday, April 5, 2012
The Seeds of Tomorrow
I love science. Like many people, when I was a little boy, I used to look up at the stars and wonder and theorize about the vastness of space and the thought processes of things like bugs and plants. I would imagine what a rhododendron might say to an ant as it crawled about the petals of its blooms. I wondered if cicadas flying through the air navigated using the stars as placeholders, and imagined shrimp whistling tunes as they foraged for plankton in the seemingly never-ending soup of the ocean. As I got older and I became a little less fantastical about the world and universe that surrounds us, I abandoned these fantasies in search for truth. Each day, more and more as I learned about the world, I became drawn to history and the people that discovered and created constructs of our reality. There were so many people and so many components to the vast body of knowledge that we learned and the even vaster body of knowledge that we did not know. As I tried to back my mind away from the entire population though, it began to seem as if as time moved along, less and less scientific celebrities appeared.
Then I discovered Carl Sagan.
Carl Sagan was many things. He was an astronomer, a cosmologist, an astrophysicist, a novelist, a teacher, and a promoter of the search for extra-terrestrial life. Sagan brought the technical nonsense that oozed from nerdy scientists in white lab coats behind closed doors in government facilities to the living rooms and minds of people like you and me when, in 1980, he hosted the landmark series, Cosmos. Through the wildly popular television show, Sagan translated all the mumbo-jumbo science had to offer, put it into a common and workable form, and gave it an even more common perspective that most anyone could easily translate. Once, more, he gave it all purpose. Cosmos was more than a science program. It was a presentation of the driving force of why science existed, and its part within the human mechanism. In essence, Cosmos was the human interaction and observation of everything that was, is, and might be. This astounded me. Somehow in the bowels of my mind I knew that everything had to fit in line with everything else. There had to be some sort of order to the chaos of the universe. But, up to that point, I had never heard anyone or anything put it in some a viable form as when I began to watch Carl Sagan pull apart the universe and the earth and glue it to the human purpose.
But Carl didn't answer all the questions. Sagan left the entire universe open and still greatly undiscovered. His presentations re-ignited the dreams and wonders of anyone lounged on the couch with a bag of potato chips and a willingness to wonder. Sadly, in 1996, this pioneer of translation, Carl Sagan, died. For a while, some of us wondered if there would ever be another face of the scientific world, a man so knowledgeable and, well, human, to present the hidden world of science to the people again.
Then I discovered Neil deGrasse Tyson.
Neil deGrasse Tyson has become the face and voice bridging the gap between the general population and science and exploration today. Tyson's career, like Sagan, is marked by a number of titles and talents such as astrophysicist, cosmologist, science communicator, teacher, and perhaps even celebrity. Currently, he is the Director at the Hayden Planetarium in Manhattan, New York, and has, not one, but ten honorary degrees from a variety of institutions. Author of several book including The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America's Planet, Death By Black Hole: And Other cosmic Quandaries, and his most recent publication The Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier, has racked up formidable resume of guest and TV appearnaces. Seven times he's appeared on The Colbert Report, Six times on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and a number of times he attended Real Time with Bill Maher. He shows up everywhere, and still has time to be the host for PBS's NOVA: scienceNOW.
But Neil deGrasse Tyson is not merely a scientist nor is he merely a celebrity. He has a message to give, and it starts with a dream. In his recent offering to the world, The Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier, Tyson shines the spotlight on the importance of the rediscovery and importance of America's space exploration program and NASA. On March 7th of this year, Neil deGrasse Tyson was asked to speak before congress on the future of just these topics. There, Tyson explained to the Science Committee that "...audacious visions have the power to alter mind states, to change assumptions about what is possible, and when a nation allows itself to dream big, these dreams prevail in the citizens' ambitions." But as much as Neil deGrasse Tyson is a student of the present and scientist of the future, he is also a student of history. Noting that the space exploration program and NASA was born out of a national fear and cold war, he goes on to mention that once America decided they had won the space race, we stopped dreaming about discovering new planets and traversing the cosmos. As he asserted quite frankly and with expertly simple articulation, the problems of this country are "...the collective consequence of the absence of ambition that consumes you when you stop having dreams."
Neil deGrasse Tyson gets it. What made this country great was not war and legislation, but rather innovation and opportunity. The seeds of both innovation and opportunity are grown in the dreams and the wonders of children. As those seeds grow and are watered by our environment, the stalks burst forth from their beds, peering at the sky for the first time. Those seeds are the dreams of a new generation who begin to see the possibilities and that there's a place and room for their flowers to grow. They will open their petals to the sky. They will become mathematicians, engineers, physicists, and geologists. They will become teachers, inventors, discoverers, and explorers. It is this next generation that will transform the desert of yesterday into the garden of tomorrow. Yes, we must worry about today, but we cannot continue to ignore tomorrow. Without dreams, there are no ambitions. Without ambitions, there is no progression. Without progression, there are no heroes. And without heroes, humanity becomes unable to realize the possibility of escaping the harshnesses of the world and its environment.
Dare to dream, Neil. Keep spreading the seeds of tomorrow.
Invino Veritas
3/24/12
EOF
Then I discovered Carl Sagan.
Carl Sagan was many things. He was an astronomer, a cosmologist, an astrophysicist, a novelist, a teacher, and a promoter of the search for extra-terrestrial life. Sagan brought the technical nonsense that oozed from nerdy scientists in white lab coats behind closed doors in government facilities to the living rooms and minds of people like you and me when, in 1980, he hosted the landmark series, Cosmos. Through the wildly popular television show, Sagan translated all the mumbo-jumbo science had to offer, put it into a common and workable form, and gave it an even more common perspective that most anyone could easily translate. Once, more, he gave it all purpose. Cosmos was more than a science program. It was a presentation of the driving force of why science existed, and its part within the human mechanism. In essence, Cosmos was the human interaction and observation of everything that was, is, and might be. This astounded me. Somehow in the bowels of my mind I knew that everything had to fit in line with everything else. There had to be some sort of order to the chaos of the universe. But, up to that point, I had never heard anyone or anything put it in some a viable form as when I began to watch Carl Sagan pull apart the universe and the earth and glue it to the human purpose.
But Carl didn't answer all the questions. Sagan left the entire universe open and still greatly undiscovered. His presentations re-ignited the dreams and wonders of anyone lounged on the couch with a bag of potato chips and a willingness to wonder. Sadly, in 1996, this pioneer of translation, Carl Sagan, died. For a while, some of us wondered if there would ever be another face of the scientific world, a man so knowledgeable and, well, human, to present the hidden world of science to the people again.
Then I discovered Neil deGrasse Tyson.
Neil deGrasse Tyson has become the face and voice bridging the gap between the general population and science and exploration today. Tyson's career, like Sagan, is marked by a number of titles and talents such as astrophysicist, cosmologist, science communicator, teacher, and perhaps even celebrity. Currently, he is the Director at the Hayden Planetarium in Manhattan, New York, and has, not one, but ten honorary degrees from a variety of institutions. Author of several book including The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America's Planet, Death By Black Hole: And Other cosmic Quandaries, and his most recent publication The Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier, has racked up formidable resume of guest and TV appearnaces. Seven times he's appeared on The Colbert Report, Six times on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and a number of times he attended Real Time with Bill Maher. He shows up everywhere, and still has time to be the host for PBS's NOVA: scienceNOW.
But Neil deGrasse Tyson is not merely a scientist nor is he merely a celebrity. He has a message to give, and it starts with a dream. In his recent offering to the world, The Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier, Tyson shines the spotlight on the importance of the rediscovery and importance of America's space exploration program and NASA. On March 7th of this year, Neil deGrasse Tyson was asked to speak before congress on the future of just these topics. There, Tyson explained to the Science Committee that "...audacious visions have the power to alter mind states, to change assumptions about what is possible, and when a nation allows itself to dream big, these dreams prevail in the citizens' ambitions." But as much as Neil deGrasse Tyson is a student of the present and scientist of the future, he is also a student of history. Noting that the space exploration program and NASA was born out of a national fear and cold war, he goes on to mention that once America decided they had won the space race, we stopped dreaming about discovering new planets and traversing the cosmos. As he asserted quite frankly and with expertly simple articulation, the problems of this country are "...the collective consequence of the absence of ambition that consumes you when you stop having dreams."
Neil deGrasse Tyson gets it. What made this country great was not war and legislation, but rather innovation and opportunity. The seeds of both innovation and opportunity are grown in the dreams and the wonders of children. As those seeds grow and are watered by our environment, the stalks burst forth from their beds, peering at the sky for the first time. Those seeds are the dreams of a new generation who begin to see the possibilities and that there's a place and room for their flowers to grow. They will open their petals to the sky. They will become mathematicians, engineers, physicists, and geologists. They will become teachers, inventors, discoverers, and explorers. It is this next generation that will transform the desert of yesterday into the garden of tomorrow. Yes, we must worry about today, but we cannot continue to ignore tomorrow. Without dreams, there are no ambitions. Without ambitions, there is no progression. Without progression, there are no heroes. And without heroes, humanity becomes unable to realize the possibility of escaping the harshnesses of the world and its environment.
Dare to dream, Neil. Keep spreading the seeds of tomorrow.
Invino Veritas
3/24/12
EOF
Monday, April 2, 2012
Shpongle's Nothing Lasts...But Nothing Is Lost: A Dream Come True
It's true that politics isn't by any stretch of the imagination my first love. In fact, love isn't really the right word in the slightest sense of the idea. But today, I turned to something little more easy-going: music. Having found myself recovering from what I believe to be a couple of chicken patties gone "afowl" this weekend, I found myself in an opportunity to listen to an album with which I’ve simple fallen in love over the past few weeks. The truth of the matter is that Shpongle's Nothing Lasts...But Nothing Is Lost, while deviating from the usual repertoire that one may typically find emanating through the halls of southern homes and offices, this album is a wonderful, fantastical journey through the minds of Simon Posford and Raja Ram.
Known for their fusion of traditional styles of music from all around the globe, Shpongle does not disappoint their fans with Nothing Lasts...But Nothing Is Lost. From the beginning, the listener is dropped into, from somewhere in the atmosphere, into a revolving collage of electronic rhythm and traditional sounds of guitar and drums. Much of the drum work in the background is tribal in some aspect or another as evidenced in tracks like Levitation Nation. Weaving in and out of the ever-changing river of beat are the wonderfully flowing moments in time when the acoustic guitar seems to bounce from flower to flower like a honey bee spreading pollen and gathering nectar. But just when the moment reaches a climax, the scene melts into a strange dream state evoking visions of the New Delhi skyline from across the Ganges River such as with the momentary interlude of Periscopes of Consciousness.
Not long after wading through the shallows of the famous Indian river, Posford and Ram continue the journey through the streets and nightlife of India as the listener's essence float through the heart of the cityscape to the edge of the surrounding areas. The continuous, winding rhythm leads the listener on a strange bus ride along the edges strange mental solitude as if the Indian moonrise blows a kiss to say goodbye to the daylight and welcome the evening. As we travel outside the walls and bustle of population, Shpongle interjects the central theme of the album that, according to William Blake, nothing is lost, like a strange American guide whispering in the ear of the traveller, interpreting the surrounding environments. Suddenly, everything slows down and begins to shutter. With the introduction of what seems like a second phase to Nothing Lasts...But Nothing Is Lost, When Shall I Be Free? accompanies the small party of travelers echoing that same question and reaching a rhetoric softly reminding one's ears that the journey is not over yet.
Posford and Ram at this point, step up to the plate and bring back some Western influence, taking the listener out of Asian landscape with a chorus of horns, drums, and guitar reminiscent of both Central and North American culture in The Stamen of the Shaman. But after a short stay in Panama, so to speak, the journey continues, reaching the shores of Africa where can be heard the momentary songs of the native peoples. But so as to not let us forget our roots, Shpongle lets one float into a groove of apprehension that begins to add layer after layer of electronic injections to the mix as tracks like Linguistic Mystic and Mentalism enter the scene. The momentary lapse in Africa is curtailed prematurely, though, as the voyage makes its way back into Asia with the album's fourteenth track, Invocation. For some reason unknown to the world traveler here, Shpongle bounces us to the heavens above the world in another mixture of rhythm like a child's toy ball, stopping briefly at a zenith made of more electronic tone and traditional Western rhythm before dropping back to the Earth with Turn Up The Silence. As the moment passes, the descent back to the ground below takes place just before the seventeenth track, Exhalation, strikes its first note.
As Nothing Lasts...But Nothing Is Lost comes to close with its last three tracks, the dream begins to dissolve somewhat as an odd awakening takes place. The sudden transformation brings memories of that untimely sleep that gets interrupted, and that feeling of stepping out into the cool, windy openness of the world with that dreadful physical fatigue one feels at those times - the air feels chillier than normal, and the racing particles of air seem coarser than usual. But the feeling is only temporary, as the reality comes into focus and our limbs shake off the previous attempts at rest. Both electric and acoustic guitars begin to drive the music as we get back into our normal rhythm here in our normal state and relax, slipping into an old pair of shoes. As the twentieth and final track suggests, the listener is finally Falling Awake.
Shpongle's Nothing Lasts...But Nothing Is Lost is a fantastic piece of music eclipsing their previous efforts, Are You Shpongled? and Tales Of The Inexpressible. Simon Posford and Raja Ram truly outperform even themselves on this wonderful offering to the world. Obviously meant to be listened to in its entirety and in order, the fabric of this album is one tapestry that takes us around the world in a meditation of culture and sound. Unlike so many other psychedelic trance or dance albums, I don't feel as if this album is meant for the likes of a rave or dance club. Actually, I find myself using this album, continually looping it from end to end, as I play video games and during the repetitive job of a technician. It allows my mind to settle and focus, and provides a relaxing undertone to the job before me, no matter how frivolous it may appear.
Good album. Check it out.
Invino Veritas
3/12/12
EOF
Known for their fusion of traditional styles of music from all around the globe, Shpongle does not disappoint their fans with Nothing Lasts...But Nothing Is Lost. From the beginning, the listener is dropped into, from somewhere in the atmosphere, into a revolving collage of electronic rhythm and traditional sounds of guitar and drums. Much of the drum work in the background is tribal in some aspect or another as evidenced in tracks like Levitation Nation. Weaving in and out of the ever-changing river of beat are the wonderfully flowing moments in time when the acoustic guitar seems to bounce from flower to flower like a honey bee spreading pollen and gathering nectar. But just when the moment reaches a climax, the scene melts into a strange dream state evoking visions of the New Delhi skyline from across the Ganges River such as with the momentary interlude of Periscopes of Consciousness.
Not long after wading through the shallows of the famous Indian river, Posford and Ram continue the journey through the streets and nightlife of India as the listener's essence float through the heart of the cityscape to the edge of the surrounding areas. The continuous, winding rhythm leads the listener on a strange bus ride along the edges strange mental solitude as if the Indian moonrise blows a kiss to say goodbye to the daylight and welcome the evening. As we travel outside the walls and bustle of population, Shpongle interjects the central theme of the album that, according to William Blake, nothing is lost, like a strange American guide whispering in the ear of the traveller, interpreting the surrounding environments. Suddenly, everything slows down and begins to shutter. With the introduction of what seems like a second phase to Nothing Lasts...But Nothing Is Lost, When Shall I Be Free? accompanies the small party of travelers echoing that same question and reaching a rhetoric softly reminding one's ears that the journey is not over yet.
Posford and Ram at this point, step up to the plate and bring back some Western influence, taking the listener out of Asian landscape with a chorus of horns, drums, and guitar reminiscent of both Central and North American culture in The Stamen of the Shaman. But after a short stay in Panama, so to speak, the journey continues, reaching the shores of Africa where can be heard the momentary songs of the native peoples. But so as to not let us forget our roots, Shpongle lets one float into a groove of apprehension that begins to add layer after layer of electronic injections to the mix as tracks like Linguistic Mystic and Mentalism enter the scene. The momentary lapse in Africa is curtailed prematurely, though, as the voyage makes its way back into Asia with the album's fourteenth track, Invocation. For some reason unknown to the world traveler here, Shpongle bounces us to the heavens above the world in another mixture of rhythm like a child's toy ball, stopping briefly at a zenith made of more electronic tone and traditional Western rhythm before dropping back to the Earth with Turn Up The Silence. As the moment passes, the descent back to the ground below takes place just before the seventeenth track, Exhalation, strikes its first note.
As Nothing Lasts...But Nothing Is Lost comes to close with its last three tracks, the dream begins to dissolve somewhat as an odd awakening takes place. The sudden transformation brings memories of that untimely sleep that gets interrupted, and that feeling of stepping out into the cool, windy openness of the world with that dreadful physical fatigue one feels at those times - the air feels chillier than normal, and the racing particles of air seem coarser than usual. But the feeling is only temporary, as the reality comes into focus and our limbs shake off the previous attempts at rest. Both electric and acoustic guitars begin to drive the music as we get back into our normal rhythm here in our normal state and relax, slipping into an old pair of shoes. As the twentieth and final track suggests, the listener is finally Falling Awake.
Shpongle's Nothing Lasts...But Nothing Is Lost is a fantastic piece of music eclipsing their previous efforts, Are You Shpongled? and Tales Of The Inexpressible. Simon Posford and Raja Ram truly outperform even themselves on this wonderful offering to the world. Obviously meant to be listened to in its entirety and in order, the fabric of this album is one tapestry that takes us around the world in a meditation of culture and sound. Unlike so many other psychedelic trance or dance albums, I don't feel as if this album is meant for the likes of a rave or dance club. Actually, I find myself using this album, continually looping it from end to end, as I play video games and during the repetitive job of a technician. It allows my mind to settle and focus, and provides a relaxing undertone to the job before me, no matter how frivolous it may appear.
Good album. Check it out.
Invino Veritas
3/12/12
EOF
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Monday, February 20, 2012
How To Lose Your Face and Still Be Fashionable
The fact that Hunter S. Thompson keeps appearing on my Facebook sidebar as of late gives me pause and cause for both confusion and pride. Unfortunately, I feel that neither will quicken my steps in realizing the universal instance of truth nor beauty. On the other hand, I may have very well come to the realization that I need to go back to being a writer rather than gravitating to mere journalism. Like a strange, twisted piece of cereal, the grainy side may be good for me but its the frosted side of literature that makes it most enjoyable. Thompson's apearance does bring up an interesting question, though. Knowing fair and well that the advertising at the side of Facebook's streams and the many twisted caverns of information and inviduals in this 700-million-person behemoth is tuned towards each and every single person individually. Day after day, the vast database of information that we create combined with the data regarding our tendencies, our likes and dislikes, our rants, our raves, or common topics that we concern ourselves with, and a multitude of other qualities of living that we exhibit go into the mega-conglomeration of advertising service and technology.
But what's the best question that I can ask at this point? This intrigues that grasps me by the brain and shakes me as my veritably metaphorical nape wriggles from side to side knows only the boundaries of its own energy source and the border of its own, often unfortunate, attention span. (Damn you, Fluoride!) Dare I ask whether or not I have certain qualities or that I have exhibited qualities as of late similar to the inconoclast, nay iconoplasm, that is and was Hunter S Thompson? I'm going to go out on a limb here and say "No." In fact, I'm pretty sure that Facebook and their advertising buddies have created a fallacous connection between me and Mr. Thompson, flattering as it may be. I will even go as far as to say this is really a bit of an overstatement.
No, not a bit. That's an understatement.
It's a major crevasse that separates the differences between the literary excellence of Thompson's wreckless chaos in search of order and anything I've ever written. But if asking such a question or questions is the lunacy that it appears to be, then what other inferences can I make by this? Now, mind you, this is only introspection, and really only serves for me to question myself. The scripts and code of the Facebok pages know only the things that were written into their many thousands of lines. Each of these things have only a straight-line tendency without the ability to change themselves or deviate from predetermined direction. I, on the other hand, am free and liberated from the constraints of the physical world to follow whim and fancy, to dream of alternatives of gratification and despair alike. So, then, why have I been served offers to engage in some sort of way wth the memory of Mr. Thompson?
Then I refresh the page, and a credit card ad comes up. Is my credit that bad?
Then I refesh again - beach hotels and spas. They clearly don't have a clue about me.
Once more, I refresh. Credit cards again. Damn, my credit must really suck. On the other hand, this time I go ahead and click the link at the top of the advert section labeled "See All". What the hell, right? In the next section, we're going to rate the advertising service and score them accordin to my own scale. No, I will not give any deatils of my scoring system outside of what is obvious. On the other hand, because I'm a pretty transaprent guy on the whole, I will go ahead and tell you this: the system is pretty off-the-cuff. In other words, there's no real system. I'm going on feel, so back off already. Work with me!
1. Stella Artois Beer: The first ad is for a beer by the name of Stella Artois. I have to admit,
I do like Stella Artois. Ok, the adverts get a point.
2. Vicksburg Convention and Visitors Bureau: BORING! Ok, the adverts lose a point.
3. New Orleans Saints T-Shirt Ad: Bringng up third place is some company that wants me to
"relive the Saints superbowl" and buy a T-Shirt. That's the third T-shirt ad today, and the
answer is still no. Another point lost by the advertisement firms.
4. Rockstar Games: Who cares about Max Payne. He was a crappy character, and frankly
who has 300 bucks lying around to go out and buy a game console jus so that they can
buy that game? I sure as shit don't. Ads, you lose another point.
5. "Is Your Heart Healthy?": The answer is likely not. But we knew that already. I have heart
issues, but we knew that already. What are you going to do about it? (I say, I say that's
rhetorical, boy! Nice advertisement, but that company's about as sharp as a sack of
wet mice.) Minus one point for being clueless.
6. Kingdoms of Amalur: I've already invested time and effort with another online game. What
the hell do you game companies want me to do? Play games all day while the world
passes me by? Invent a game that can both pay my rent, pay my insurance, buy me
food, pay my utility bills, and pleasure me once or three times a day and then we will
talk. Otherwise, I should take away three points for your insolence, but we'll stick to
one. Minus one, fanboy.
7. Free Hunter S Thompson Audiobook: Sure, because I have nothing better to do with
my time than sitting a chair and listen to somebody else read a book. Let me guess. It's
the Morgan Freeman editions? Just kidding. As much as I respect Thompson, I have no
desire to listen to his work
being read at this time. One point awarded as that's not a totally stupid idea. Close, but
not totally.
8. Reebok Jersey: Another T-Shirt? I get the feeling they want me to adveritse for them by
buying a T-Shirt with some kind of logo on it. Really? You should pay me for the prvelage
to display your service or product. Minus one point.
9. Sealy Mattress: I like sleeping. In fact, I try to do it at least once a day. Sometimes up to
three times in a single 24-hour period. However, I doubt you sell a cheap mattress in my
size. Plus, I already have a good mattress. I abstain from addressing points on this one.
10. Nokia Phone: Who the hell uses Nokia anymore? FAIL. Minus one point.
11. Chase Sapphirre: I reiterate - Is my credit that bad? If that's the case, then why do I
want a way to get deeper in trouble. I can do that without your help, thank you very
much. FAIL. Minus One Point.
12. Capital One Credit Cards: Wherever you find bad credit and low income people with
credit cards, Capital One is generally not far out of sight. Eat me Cap-1. Minus one
point.
Ok, so here's how we tally: 2 points out of a possible 12 points.
Man, you guys suck.
No, wait, you're right. That's not fair. I'm going to chalk it up to my fantastic dedication to minimalizing information of mine given to third-party companies. I'll go ahead and say that this is largely due to my understanding of online security, email systems, web browsers, and crazy things like...oh, I don't know...updates. Maybe it's because I take the time - many hours of time - protecting myelf from the
evils of the Internet. Perhaps it's because I have the uncanny ability to realize the difference between crap and reasonable assumption. Who knows? All I know in the end is that they really don't know their ass from a hole in the ground. But you know what? That also means that somebody is reading my stuff, and since I don't really have a ton of people reading my stuff, it only exemplifies what I'm talking about. On the other hand, I wouldn't be hurt to find some traffic. But it doesn't really matter because I'm going to continue to write anyways.
Here's the types of ads I apparerently attract:
2 Credit Cards
2 Game Companies
2 T-Shirts
1 Mattress
1 Private Organization
1 Phone
1 Health
1 Audiobook
1 Beer
I haven't really decided on wshat that says about me, but...
Now, if I read this right, then, according to the advertisement companies, I am the type of guy who plays video games in my bed while wearing a T-shirt listening to audioboks and drinking beer. They probably figure that somewhere along the way I'll answer the phone and have a heart-attack. I'm really not sure how the Vicksburg organization fits in to all that. whatever the relationship may be, I bet it's bordering on stupid and amazing at the same tme.
And that, sirs and ma'ams, is the meat between the bread in a pointless, insane sandwich called life.I guess if there's anything to be gotten by this dribble is that 1.) you have even less to do than I do at this moment to have read all the way down to this point, 2.) few things can replace good security as there are multiple layers of repercussions for every action that is taken, and 3.) I bear little, of any, resemblance, in any shape, form, or fashion, to Hunter S. Thompson; somebody was smoking crack when they came up with that algorithm.
Until next time...
Enjoy.
Invino Veritas
2/20/12
EOF
But what's the best question that I can ask at this point? This intrigues that grasps me by the brain and shakes me as my veritably metaphorical nape wriggles from side to side knows only the boundaries of its own energy source and the border of its own, often unfortunate, attention span. (Damn you, Fluoride!) Dare I ask whether or not I have certain qualities or that I have exhibited qualities as of late similar to the inconoclast, nay iconoplasm, that is and was Hunter S Thompson? I'm going to go out on a limb here and say "No." In fact, I'm pretty sure that Facebook and their advertising buddies have created a fallacous connection between me and Mr. Thompson, flattering as it may be. I will even go as far as to say this is really a bit of an overstatement.
No, not a bit. That's an understatement.
It's a major crevasse that separates the differences between the literary excellence of Thompson's wreckless chaos in search of order and anything I've ever written. But if asking such a question or questions is the lunacy that it appears to be, then what other inferences can I make by this? Now, mind you, this is only introspection, and really only serves for me to question myself. The scripts and code of the Facebok pages know only the things that were written into their many thousands of lines. Each of these things have only a straight-line tendency without the ability to change themselves or deviate from predetermined direction. I, on the other hand, am free and liberated from the constraints of the physical world to follow whim and fancy, to dream of alternatives of gratification and despair alike. So, then, why have I been served offers to engage in some sort of way wth the memory of Mr. Thompson?
Then I refresh the page, and a credit card ad comes up. Is my credit that bad?
Then I refesh again - beach hotels and spas. They clearly don't have a clue about me.
Once more, I refresh. Credit cards again. Damn, my credit must really suck. On the other hand, this time I go ahead and click the link at the top of the advert section labeled "See All". What the hell, right? In the next section, we're going to rate the advertising service and score them accordin to my own scale. No, I will not give any deatils of my scoring system outside of what is obvious. On the other hand, because I'm a pretty transaprent guy on the whole, I will go ahead and tell you this: the system is pretty off-the-cuff. In other words, there's no real system. I'm going on feel, so back off already. Work with me!
1. Stella Artois Beer: The first ad is for a beer by the name of Stella Artois. I have to admit,
I do like Stella Artois. Ok, the adverts get a point.
2. Vicksburg Convention and Visitors Bureau: BORING! Ok, the adverts lose a point.
3. New Orleans Saints T-Shirt Ad: Bringng up third place is some company that wants me to
"relive the Saints superbowl" and buy a T-Shirt. That's the third T-shirt ad today, and the
answer is still no. Another point lost by the advertisement firms.
4. Rockstar Games: Who cares about Max Payne. He was a crappy character, and frankly
who has 300 bucks lying around to go out and buy a game console jus so that they can
buy that game? I sure as shit don't. Ads, you lose another point.
5. "Is Your Heart Healthy?": The answer is likely not. But we knew that already. I have heart
issues, but we knew that already. What are you going to do about it? (I say, I say that's
rhetorical, boy! Nice advertisement, but that company's about as sharp as a sack of
wet mice.) Minus one point for being clueless.
6. Kingdoms of Amalur: I've already invested time and effort with another online game. What
the hell do you game companies want me to do? Play games all day while the world
passes me by? Invent a game that can both pay my rent, pay my insurance, buy me
food, pay my utility bills, and pleasure me once or three times a day and then we will
talk. Otherwise, I should take away three points for your insolence, but we'll stick to
one. Minus one, fanboy.
7. Free Hunter S Thompson Audiobook: Sure, because I have nothing better to do with
my time than sitting a chair and listen to somebody else read a book. Let me guess. It's
the Morgan Freeman editions? Just kidding. As much as I respect Thompson, I have no
desire to listen to his work
being read at this time. One point awarded as that's not a totally stupid idea. Close, but
not totally.
8. Reebok Jersey: Another T-Shirt? I get the feeling they want me to adveritse for them by
buying a T-Shirt with some kind of logo on it. Really? You should pay me for the prvelage
to display your service or product. Minus one point.
9. Sealy Mattress: I like sleeping. In fact, I try to do it at least once a day. Sometimes up to
three times in a single 24-hour period. However, I doubt you sell a cheap mattress in my
size. Plus, I already have a good mattress. I abstain from addressing points on this one.
10. Nokia Phone: Who the hell uses Nokia anymore? FAIL. Minus one point.
11. Chase Sapphirre: I reiterate - Is my credit that bad? If that's the case, then why do I
want a way to get deeper in trouble. I can do that without your help, thank you very
much. FAIL. Minus One Point.
12. Capital One Credit Cards: Wherever you find bad credit and low income people with
credit cards, Capital One is generally not far out of sight. Eat me Cap-1. Minus one
point.
Ok, so here's how we tally: 2 points out of a possible 12 points.
Man, you guys suck.
No, wait, you're right. That's not fair. I'm going to chalk it up to my fantastic dedication to minimalizing information of mine given to third-party companies. I'll go ahead and say that this is largely due to my understanding of online security, email systems, web browsers, and crazy things like...oh, I don't know...updates. Maybe it's because I take the time - many hours of time - protecting myelf from the
evils of the Internet. Perhaps it's because I have the uncanny ability to realize the difference between crap and reasonable assumption. Who knows? All I know in the end is that they really don't know their ass from a hole in the ground. But you know what? That also means that somebody is reading my stuff, and since I don't really have a ton of people reading my stuff, it only exemplifies what I'm talking about. On the other hand, I wouldn't be hurt to find some traffic. But it doesn't really matter because I'm going to continue to write anyways.
Here's the types of ads I apparerently attract:
2 Credit Cards
2 Game Companies
2 T-Shirts
1 Mattress
1 Private Organization
1 Phone
1 Health
1 Audiobook
1 Beer
I haven't really decided on wshat that says about me, but...
Now, if I read this right, then, according to the advertisement companies, I am the type of guy who plays video games in my bed while wearing a T-shirt listening to audioboks and drinking beer. They probably figure that somewhere along the way I'll answer the phone and have a heart-attack. I'm really not sure how the Vicksburg organization fits in to all that. whatever the relationship may be, I bet it's bordering on stupid and amazing at the same tme.
And that, sirs and ma'ams, is the meat between the bread in a pointless, insane sandwich called life.I guess if there's anything to be gotten by this dribble is that 1.) you have even less to do than I do at this moment to have read all the way down to this point, 2.) few things can replace good security as there are multiple layers of repercussions for every action that is taken, and 3.) I bear little, of any, resemblance, in any shape, form, or fashion, to Hunter S. Thompson; somebody was smoking crack when they came up with that algorithm.
Until next time...
Enjoy.
Invino Veritas
2/20/12
EOF
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Washington On The Steps
SETTING: 2000's, Present day academia.
[Two college students, Chip and Neville, sit outside the library on the front steps,
going over the day's dose of American History.]
Neville: ...so, Washington got his butt kicked in New York by the British, he ran all the way
through New Jersey. But then he turns around, marches right across the Delaware
River and proceeds to take Trenton and Princeton.
Chip: That's what that famous painting of Washington's about, right?
Neville: Yeah, I think so. Oh, hey, did you know that painting was painted by a Brit?
Chip: No shit?
Neville: No shit.
Chip: Hmph! I'll be damned. [Scribbles in his notebook.] And that is the end of that...!
Neville: Sweet!
Chip. Well, until Wednesday. Hey! Speaking of....what are you doing Monday?
Neville: Workin'.
Chip: You're not off for Preseident's Day?
Neville: Personally, I think you should only observe it if you like the current President.
Chip: [Laughing.] What?
Neville: Think about it. Why would anyone want to observe or honor a presdent that
they didn't like?
Chip: Dude, I think it's in honor of previous Presidents.
Neville: Actually, it was originally intended to celebrate Washington's Birthday, now that
you mention it, thankyouverymuch. In fact, congress put it into law at one time.
Chip: [Sarcastically.] That's awesome, man, but you don't get paid for telling me this
crap after 12:00 p.m..
Neville: [Smirking.] Anyways, I just happen to think that I've had enough with having to
observe the current president for the past three years. I'm ready for some good
ole' fashioned disregard!
Chip: Yeah! [Pumps his fist in the air.]
Neville: Besides, it's presidents plural, not president's possessive.
Chip: [Unflinchingly.] Actually, sir, it's either one or both.
Neville: Oh yeah? How do you know?
Chip: Wikipedia. [Shakes his cellphone in his hand.]
Neville: [Rolling his eyes.] I should've known.
Chip: Yeah, well, as interesting as all this is....
Neville: Time to make the roofies?
Chip: That's rght! Time to make the roofies. No, seriously. I got to go.
Neville: Ok, man. I'll see you in class on Tuesday I guess.
Chip: Sounds good. Thanks, man.
Neville: Yup.
Chip: Oh! Before I forget....[Hands Neville some money.]
Neville: Cool! Thanks.
Chip: Yup. [Waves.]
[Exit Chip.]
[Two college students, Chip and Neville, sit outside the library on the front steps,
going over the day's dose of American History.]
Neville: ...so, Washington got his butt kicked in New York by the British, he ran all the way
through New Jersey. But then he turns around, marches right across the Delaware
River and proceeds to take Trenton and Princeton.
Chip: That's what that famous painting of Washington's about, right?
Neville: Yeah, I think so. Oh, hey, did you know that painting was painted by a Brit?
Chip: No shit?
Neville: No shit.
Chip: Hmph! I'll be damned. [Scribbles in his notebook.] And that is the end of that...!
Neville: Sweet!
Chip. Well, until Wednesday. Hey! Speaking of....what are you doing Monday?
Neville: Workin'.
Chip: You're not off for Preseident's Day?
Neville: Personally, I think you should only observe it if you like the current President.
Chip: [Laughing.] What?
Neville: Think about it. Why would anyone want to observe or honor a presdent that
they didn't like?
Chip: Dude, I think it's in honor of previous Presidents.
Neville: Actually, it was originally intended to celebrate Washington's Birthday, now that
you mention it, thankyouverymuch. In fact, congress put it into law at one time.
Chip: [Sarcastically.] That's awesome, man, but you don't get paid for telling me this
crap after 12:00 p.m..
Neville: [Smirking.] Anyways, I just happen to think that I've had enough with having to
observe the current president for the past three years. I'm ready for some good
ole' fashioned disregard!
Chip: Yeah! [Pumps his fist in the air.]
Neville: Besides, it's presidents plural, not president's possessive.
Chip: [Unflinchingly.] Actually, sir, it's either one or both.
Neville: Oh yeah? How do you know?
Chip: Wikipedia. [Shakes his cellphone in his hand.]
Neville: [Rolling his eyes.] I should've known.
Chip: Yeah, well, as interesting as all this is....
Neville: Time to make the roofies?
Chip: That's rght! Time to make the roofies. No, seriously. I got to go.
Neville: Ok, man. I'll see you in class on Tuesday I guess.
Chip: Sounds good. Thanks, man.
Neville: Yup.
Chip: Oh! Before I forget....[Hands Neville some money.]
Neville: Cool! Thanks.
Chip: Yup. [Waves.]
[Exit Chip.]
Monday, February 13, 2012
Imports From The Livejournal Archives Vol. 1.6
The following has been archived from my blog on Livejournal.com:
---------------------
March 26, 2006
---------------------
Jack-In-The-Box
Well, I'm back for this moment in time. Like the Jack-in-the-box, I'm jumping into sight when the song ends. It's almost a year since I started my job, and pretty soon I'll be polishing the resume and sending it out to career level job postings. After working amongst a group of individuals with no work ethic and general overall laziness, I'm just about ready to get into an environment where progression is on everyone's mind and within everyone's personal and professional goals. I'n the meantime, I've decided to saturate my time outside of work with Video Games and Captain Morgan. (Ok, there are other drinks, too.)
My kitchen is infested with sugar ants. I call them "sugar ants" because 1.) they always crowd around the cups where I had my sprite, and 2.) they smell like banana taffy when you squish them. Just recently, they seem to have found a taste for baked chicken. I don't really see the connection between sprite and baked chicken, but I jest that it may be related to the wine that I used when I baked the chicken. The little varmints seem to be coming from behind the dishwasher. I had the exterminator come in and spray, but his efforts don't seem to hold much water with the re-emergence. I knew this would happen, though. Even after pouring gasoline on several nests, the little bastards still managed to live last time. I should, probably, be grateful that they don't bite me. I'm strting to feel like "Joe" in "Joe's Apartment" when he brought his girlfriend over to his place. (This is an exaggeration.)
Ok, well, it's time to take my flat sprite and captain morgan to the video game console and give ti a go for abit before AdultSwim somes on television.
Adios.
---------------------
March 26, 2006
---------------------
Jack-In-The-Box
Well, I'm back for this moment in time. Like the Jack-in-the-box, I'm jumping into sight when the song ends. It's almost a year since I started my job, and pretty soon I'll be polishing the resume and sending it out to career level job postings. After working amongst a group of individuals with no work ethic and general overall laziness, I'm just about ready to get into an environment where progression is on everyone's mind and within everyone's personal and professional goals. I'n the meantime, I've decided to saturate my time outside of work with Video Games and Captain Morgan. (Ok, there are other drinks, too.)
My kitchen is infested with sugar ants. I call them "sugar ants" because 1.) they always crowd around the cups where I had my sprite, and 2.) they smell like banana taffy when you squish them. Just recently, they seem to have found a taste for baked chicken. I don't really see the connection between sprite and baked chicken, but I jest that it may be related to the wine that I used when I baked the chicken. The little varmints seem to be coming from behind the dishwasher. I had the exterminator come in and spray, but his efforts don't seem to hold much water with the re-emergence. I knew this would happen, though. Even after pouring gasoline on several nests, the little bastards still managed to live last time. I should, probably, be grateful that they don't bite me. I'm strting to feel like "Joe" in "Joe's Apartment" when he brought his girlfriend over to his place. (This is an exaggeration.)
Ok, well, it's time to take my flat sprite and captain morgan to the video game console and give ti a go for abit before AdultSwim somes on television.
Adios.
Current Mood: accomplished
----------------
Invino Veritas
Archive Created 2/13/12
EOF
Imports From The Livejournal Archives Vol. 1.5
The following has been archived from my blog on Livejournal.com:
---------------------
April 24, 2005
---------------------
Taking Applications For Voluntary Masseuse
Well, the back's better, but I keep cutting some muscle back there somehow. It seems to be linked to the way my pillow gets stuck under my shoulder blade when I sleep. I am now taking applications and accepting auditions for voluntary sensual masseuses. (Men need not apply. I'm biased, so sue me.)
In other news....
My professor from college offered to send a recommendation to one of the libraries here the other day concerning a job that hasn't been posted just yet. If accepted, I will be the IT department. Pays pretty good coming out of the box like this. In the meantime, I applied for a position doing Dell third-party support. I feel pretty confident about that position as the manager said she'd call me on Monday or Tuesday rather than being wishy-washy about the whole thing. She also confirmed that they are hiring. It's field related, so that's a plus.
Threw a party last night. I had only meant to have about seven to ten folks over, but twenty to thirty showed up. I grilled about twenty bratwurst, made a loaf of garlic toast, a barbecued a rack of ribs. I have no idea how everyone got some. Was pretty darn good if I say so myself. Funny thing is that everyone brought beer, but it was all Keystone or Coors Light. I'm sorry but that stuff is like day's old piss. It literally makes me gag. So I drank water until we hit the bars. Ended up going to a kegger. That wasn't bad even though it really wasn't my crowd, but they were nice enough until 5:00 when they kicked us out. The bitch who threw the party though charged us for the keg beer, but neglected to tell us it was almost empty. What a punkass. As a result, I felt obligated to piss on her bedroom window. Turnabout is fair play, no? Maybe I should have asked for my money back since I gave her beer back. I'll have to remember that for next time.
I'll close here tonight as there really isn't anything else to tell. Thought I'd drop in and give a spout or two. Looking for a job leaves little excitement about which to tell. So until next time, I bid thee adieu.
--------------
Invino Veritas
Archive Created 2/13/12
EOF
---------------------
April 24, 2005
---------------------
Taking Applications For Voluntary Masseuse
Well, the back's better, but I keep cutting some muscle back there somehow. It seems to be linked to the way my pillow gets stuck under my shoulder blade when I sleep. I am now taking applications and accepting auditions for voluntary sensual masseuses. (Men need not apply. I'm biased, so sue me.)
In other news....
My professor from college offered to send a recommendation to one of the libraries here the other day concerning a job that hasn't been posted just yet. If accepted, I will be the IT department. Pays pretty good coming out of the box like this. In the meantime, I applied for a position doing Dell third-party support. I feel pretty confident about that position as the manager said she'd call me on Monday or Tuesday rather than being wishy-washy about the whole thing. She also confirmed that they are hiring. It's field related, so that's a plus.
Threw a party last night. I had only meant to have about seven to ten folks over, but twenty to thirty showed up. I grilled about twenty bratwurst, made a loaf of garlic toast, a barbecued a rack of ribs. I have no idea how everyone got some. Was pretty darn good if I say so myself. Funny thing is that everyone brought beer, but it was all Keystone or Coors Light. I'm sorry but that stuff is like day's old piss. It literally makes me gag. So I drank water until we hit the bars. Ended up going to a kegger. That wasn't bad even though it really wasn't my crowd, but they were nice enough until 5:00 when they kicked us out. The bitch who threw the party though charged us for the keg beer, but neglected to tell us it was almost empty. What a punkass. As a result, I felt obligated to piss on her bedroom window. Turnabout is fair play, no? Maybe I should have asked for my money back since I gave her beer back. I'll have to remember that for next time.
I'll close here tonight as there really isn't anything else to tell. Thought I'd drop in and give a spout or two. Looking for a job leaves little excitement about which to tell. So until next time, I bid thee adieu.
--------------
Invino Veritas
Archive Created 2/13/12
EOF
Imports From The Livejournal Archives Vol. 1.4
The following has been archived from my blog on Livejournal.com:
---------------------
April 10, 2005
---------------------
Reruns and Pizza
Evening, folks.
I had planned to go out with some friends tonight on account of it being Sunday, and in this sleepy little
part of the world we have to go out of the county to get beer on Sundays. (It's not necessarily anything
that I want to get into at this time, but perhaps I'll elaborate at some other time.) When I woke up this
afternoon, my neck was stiff and the area of my back around my left kidney hurt. I hope it's just muscular
in nature. I've had enough crap go wrong with my body within the last couple years to have one of my
kidneys go out on me. These include a stroke and five retinal detachments on my left eye. It would be so
easy to become a hypochodriac right now, but that's not in my personality to complain. In fact, I'll give
it a few days to see if this back pain persists. If it does, then I'll set up an appointment with my
doctor.
Enough about that stuff. It bores me after a moment or two, anyways.
Still looking for a job. Got my first legitimate interview the other day for a network developer position
down south a bit. I think I assed it up, but we'll see in about two weeks according to the recruiter. But
now I know better. I'll be straightforward and more precise when I'm giving answers. I won't ride the
middle track when elaborating. Either I know it, or I don't, period. I won't explain my experiences whether
they are hands-on or academic unless they ask.
Ok, I'm bored again. Talking shop bores me because my job at the moment is to find a job, and not having
some sort of immediate gratification can be a bit depressing when I've had positive results in most
everything I've done in the past.
Anyways, I must look for a way to cure some of this sunday evening boredom. Right now, I'm looking at
pizza and reruns. So, you guys take it easy. We are truly in the midst of a decline in civilization.
Morality is a lie that we perpetuate and impose upon all of those who do not stand against it, and a
sympton of this is our media. So, I shall feed the self-importance our of decadent entitites, and go
watch the inane spew that they throw at us via our idiot boxes. At the moment, it's better than sitting
in this chair and enduring any more pain than I have to.
Signing out.
Have fun.
---------------
Invino Veritas
Archive Created 2/13/12
EOF
---------------------
April 10, 2005
---------------------
Reruns and Pizza
Evening, folks.
I had planned to go out with some friends tonight on account of it being Sunday, and in this sleepy little
part of the world we have to go out of the county to get beer on Sundays. (It's not necessarily anything
that I want to get into at this time, but perhaps I'll elaborate at some other time.) When I woke up this
afternoon, my neck was stiff and the area of my back around my left kidney hurt. I hope it's just muscular
in nature. I've had enough crap go wrong with my body within the last couple years to have one of my
kidneys go out on me. These include a stroke and five retinal detachments on my left eye. It would be so
easy to become a hypochodriac right now, but that's not in my personality to complain. In fact, I'll give
it a few days to see if this back pain persists. If it does, then I'll set up an appointment with my
doctor.
Enough about that stuff. It bores me after a moment or two, anyways.
Still looking for a job. Got my first legitimate interview the other day for a network developer position
down south a bit. I think I assed it up, but we'll see in about two weeks according to the recruiter. But
now I know better. I'll be straightforward and more precise when I'm giving answers. I won't ride the
middle track when elaborating. Either I know it, or I don't, period. I won't explain my experiences whether
they are hands-on or academic unless they ask.
Ok, I'm bored again. Talking shop bores me because my job at the moment is to find a job, and not having
some sort of immediate gratification can be a bit depressing when I've had positive results in most
everything I've done in the past.
Anyways, I must look for a way to cure some of this sunday evening boredom. Right now, I'm looking at
pizza and reruns. So, you guys take it easy. We are truly in the midst of a decline in civilization.
Morality is a lie that we perpetuate and impose upon all of those who do not stand against it, and a
sympton of this is our media. So, I shall feed the self-importance our of decadent entitites, and go
watch the inane spew that they throw at us via our idiot boxes. At the moment, it's better than sitting
in this chair and enduring any more pain than I have to.
Signing out.
Have fun.
---------------
Invino Veritas
Archive Created 2/13/12
EOF
Imports From The Livejournal Archives Vol. 1.3
The following has been archived from my blog on Livejournal.com:
---------------------
March 14, 2005
---------------------
A Moment Of Redemption
I almost forgot I had this account. I guess, perhaps, that means that either I'm fairly emotionally self-sufficient, or I just don't really care. If I were a psychologist or motivationalist, I might blame it on the lack of external gratification. At any rate, I feel the desire (not need) to update this journal for the moment that I have left before my tape runs out.
Today's theme music is brought to us by Roger Waters in his performace (with friends) live at the now-destroyed Berlin wall. I bought a DVD recorder yesterday, and now its time to backup my movies on a more permanent medium -- one that wont be as subject to heat, dust, and magnetic interference. Today's first disc was created using the aforementioned video/album, Stevie Ray vaughn Live at the El Mocambo, the freeview version of The Allman Brothers Live at the Beacon (sp?) Theatre, and some SRV Austin City Limits stuff.
While I was recording, I looked for jobs and worked on the mud a bit. I've been looking for a career-level job now for about three months with no luck. The only responses I've got thusfar is from people who tell me they reviewed my resume, but then offer me a job in sales of unrelated materials. (For those of you who don't know, I'm an MIS guy.) It's really kind of funny and annoying all at once. I got a total of about four scams, three financial, two telemarketing, and one response that wanted me to download some unidentified software which I kindly refused. (For all I know, it could be harmful. I can't sacrifice my financial records and whatnot just so I can find out the job isn't what I want to do.) Job hunting is such a pain in the ass; it's a complete and utter oxymoron in action: you need experience to work but you cant get experience without some sort of a job. So, I'm looking into post-graduate internships. I'll let you know if I hear from anyone back on those.
Ok, looking back over all of this reminds me of why I hate "reality" television. It's boring, but perhaps it will give me a bit of redemption for missing a good chunk of time. I'll probably be back later to give and update on the information and postings from below. I think the DVD is about to end as I draw near the end of the video I am recording.
Have fun folks.
Enjoy.
-------------------
Invino Veritas
Archive Created 2/13/12
EOF
---------------------
March 14, 2005
---------------------
A Moment Of Redemption
I almost forgot I had this account. I guess, perhaps, that means that either I'm fairly emotionally self-sufficient, or I just don't really care. If I were a psychologist or motivationalist, I might blame it on the lack of external gratification. At any rate, I feel the desire (not need) to update this journal for the moment that I have left before my tape runs out.
Today's theme music is brought to us by Roger Waters in his performace (with friends) live at the now-destroyed Berlin wall. I bought a DVD recorder yesterday, and now its time to backup my movies on a more permanent medium -- one that wont be as subject to heat, dust, and magnetic interference. Today's first disc was created using the aforementioned video/album, Stevie Ray vaughn Live at the El Mocambo, the freeview version of The Allman Brothers Live at the Beacon (sp?) Theatre, and some SRV Austin City Limits stuff.
While I was recording, I looked for jobs and worked on the mud a bit. I've been looking for a career-level job now for about three months with no luck. The only responses I've got thusfar is from people who tell me they reviewed my resume, but then offer me a job in sales of unrelated materials. (For those of you who don't know, I'm an MIS guy.) It's really kind of funny and annoying all at once. I got a total of about four scams, three financial, two telemarketing, and one response that wanted me to download some unidentified software which I kindly refused. (For all I know, it could be harmful. I can't sacrifice my financial records and whatnot just so I can find out the job isn't what I want to do.) Job hunting is such a pain in the ass; it's a complete and utter oxymoron in action: you need experience to work but you cant get experience without some sort of a job. So, I'm looking into post-graduate internships. I'll let you know if I hear from anyone back on those.
Ok, looking back over all of this reminds me of why I hate "reality" television. It's boring, but perhaps it will give me a bit of redemption for missing a good chunk of time. I'll probably be back later to give and update on the information and postings from below. I think the DVD is about to end as I draw near the end of the video I am recording.
Have fun folks.
Enjoy.
-------------------
Invino Veritas
Archive Created 2/13/12
EOF
Imports From The Livejournal Archives Vol. 1.2
The following has been archived from my blog on Livejournal.com:
---------------------
February 16, 2005
---------------------
Today
I have no quip to quote, today. I have no words of wisdom, nor do I have any words of hope or (perhaps) comfort for anyone who might have read the previous posts. Today is marked by a couple of things: some things are inconsequential to the grand scheme of things, the things that concern or encircle myself or my niche. They are non-existent except for the moment of thought worth spending. Today, my mother tripped in the yard. She fell into a hole about the size of her own foot in circumference, and about as deep as a few inches above her ankle. The result was that she broke her leg in three places. She had to have surgery to insert and secure pins into her leg to put things back into order. When I found out, I called immediately. It struck me as odd that I would find out second-hand from my sister who claimed that my step-father was mad at her to the point where he felt the necessity to call her husband. My first question is "why did they not get in touch with me?" Well, whatever the reason, I wanted to go see mom in the hospital, but apparently she had just got out of surgery when I called my step-father; he said that she didn't need to see anyone which is understandable a she was drugged to hell and back, and rather incoherent. I'll go see her tomorrow. My reaction, much to my dismay, was to forego the pain my back (which has been out for the past four days or so), and go grab a brew or eight down at the local pub. I had run out of Valium to relax my muscles, and alcohol seemed to be the next best thing tohelp me relax those back muscles. I had a good time, relatively speaking. Despite the good music and friends' company, ?I priodically thought of my mom which brought me down a bit. That's somewhat uncharacteristic of myself.
Given the circumstances of late, I thought this might be therapeutic to some degree. I have yet to decide whether or not that was true. When I came home tonight, I finished the final boss fight of Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem. (There's just something about Nintendo mode after a few drinks that makes one nearly invicincible.)
Valentine's day was the worse. Not because of the happenings today, but because I broke up with my girl after nine months a couple-three weeks ago. Even after this time, people still seem suprised to hear the news. I'm a little tired of explaining why things dissolved between the two of us.
The beer is wearing off, and my back is starting to hurt again. I'm going to leave things at that, and call it a night. Have a good one, folks. Today sucked, but what sucks more (perhaps) is that I don't feel any worse than I probably should.
Have a good one.
--------------------
Invino Veritas
Archive Created 2/13/12
EOF
---------------------
February 16, 2005
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Today
I have no quip to quote, today. I have no words of wisdom, nor do I have any words of hope or (perhaps) comfort for anyone who might have read the previous posts. Today is marked by a couple of things: some things are inconsequential to the grand scheme of things, the things that concern or encircle myself or my niche. They are non-existent except for the moment of thought worth spending. Today, my mother tripped in the yard. She fell into a hole about the size of her own foot in circumference, and about as deep as a few inches above her ankle. The result was that she broke her leg in three places. She had to have surgery to insert and secure pins into her leg to put things back into order. When I found out, I called immediately. It struck me as odd that I would find out second-hand from my sister who claimed that my step-father was mad at her to the point where he felt the necessity to call her husband. My first question is "why did they not get in touch with me?" Well, whatever the reason, I wanted to go see mom in the hospital, but apparently she had just got out of surgery when I called my step-father; he said that she didn't need to see anyone which is understandable a she was drugged to hell and back, and rather incoherent. I'll go see her tomorrow. My reaction, much to my dismay, was to forego the pain my back (which has been out for the past four days or so), and go grab a brew or eight down at the local pub. I had run out of Valium to relax my muscles, and alcohol seemed to be the next best thing tohelp me relax those back muscles. I had a good time, relatively speaking. Despite the good music and friends' company, ?I priodically thought of my mom which brought me down a bit. That's somewhat uncharacteristic of myself.
Given the circumstances of late, I thought this might be therapeutic to some degree. I have yet to decide whether or not that was true. When I came home tonight, I finished the final boss fight of Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem. (There's just something about Nintendo mode after a few drinks that makes one nearly invicincible.)
Valentine's day was the worse. Not because of the happenings today, but because I broke up with my girl after nine months a couple-three weeks ago. Even after this time, people still seem suprised to hear the news. I'm a little tired of explaining why things dissolved between the two of us.
The beer is wearing off, and my back is starting to hurt again. I'm going to leave things at that, and call it a night. Have a good one, folks. Today sucked, but what sucks more (perhaps) is that I don't feel any worse than I probably should.
Have a good one.
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Invino Veritas
Archive Created 2/13/12
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