* The Family *
"...there's more to being a father than taking kids to Chuck E. Cheese and supplying the occasional Y-chromosome. A father has to be a provider, a teacher, a role model, but most importantly, a distant authority figure who can never be pleased. Otherwise, how will children ever understand the concept of God?" (7)
"...while time apart is hard on the kids, it's devastating for Mom. There's something I call 'The Maternal Instinct.' It's a natural part of every female from the paramecium all the way up to our female human woman. Females need to nurture constantly so they hate any time alone where they are left to think, shower or sleep. For a Mom to be happy, every moment away from her children must be filled with the soul-wrenching thought, 'Am I a bad mother?'" (9)
"TIP NO. 1: SET SOME RULES
Don't worry if a rule makes sense--the important thing is that it's a rule. Arbitrary rules teach kids discipline: If every rule made sense, they wouldn't be learning respect for authority, they'd be learning logic.
"So go crazy with the rules--the time your child spends trying figure them out is time he won't be stapling firecrackers to the neighbor's dog" (11).
* Animals *
"I Went to the Zoo Once: Not impressed. The animals were lazy. If I want to see a monkey sleeping, I'll tranquilize one" (41).
"Nation, nothing restricts freedom more than buckling a seatbelt. If I want to fly head first through my car windshield at 200 mph, that's between me and my brain damage" (42).
* Religion *
"Baptists
I'm a pious guy, but even I have my limits. I draw the line right around spending 8 hours in church every Sunday. Church should be a solemn 45 minutes to sit quietly and feel guilty, with donuts at the end to make you feel better. I don't go in for a full day of singing and dancing and rejoicing, no matter how nice the hats are. I prefer my Gospel monotonously droned to me from a pulpit, thank you very much." (55)
[this one made me wonder: is it purely good observational comedy? or does he really see so clearly? ..how can you be satisfied, knowing? what tethers you?]
"Buddhism
...Buddhism instructs its followers to forsake attachment to material things. Go for it, guys. That's just more material things for those of us who have enough sense to glorify our Lord with speedboats" (59).
[speaking for God, on prayer]
"Now it's gimme, gimme, gimme.
"It especially shows up in sports. Used to be, you never had both sides pray for victory. One team max, and 9 times out of 10 that team was Notre Dame. Now, you're guaranteed to have counteracting prayers. What am I supposed to do? For Me, it's literally a no-win situation. I usually have no choice but to answer the prayer of whichever team is better.
"Of course, I can't get caught playing favorites. So if I do help a team, it's not going to be with something cool and dramatic like a line drive that suddenly lifts up and carries over the fence. Instead, I usually just go back in time and make the winning team have practiced more" (65).
[THIS is what good satire is all about...exposing folly.]
[EST]
Saturday, 29 November 2008
mmp.
Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987)
I like this film. It's 25 minutes in and I'm really enjoying it.
My dad used to quote this one line from the film every so often and then he would have a good hearty laugh about it (every time). I think that line's about to come up, actually.
I can certainly appreciate the things that make my Dad laugh cuz well I on't have a solid reasoning for that. But I can also appreciate Steve Martin. I appreciate him AND John Candy and I feel that putting them toether is a good idea. (Side-note: John Candy seems to be one of the few big-name actors who can co-star with another big-name actor and compliment perfecty. Mmp.)
Kevin Bacon had a cameo early on...which is great.
Ben Stein was one of the airport workers (he announced a cancelled flight). It was cool to see him youngerly enough that his voice was higher. Still classic Ben Stein but not as bass-y.
Also good cameo-but-not: Del Griffith (John Candy's character) is reading a book called "The Canadian Mounted" in his second scene.
Awesome? Matthew Lawrence plays Neal Page's (Steve Martin) son. ..he's seven years old.
I took a break...I liked the film overall. In fact, I think the reason I stopped typing was that I got so into it. It wasn't as cliche/classic as I was expecting.
Until I get new evidence I'm going to posit that this Del character wrote the book on the terrible travel partner. There's even a moment on the plane where he says to Neal how he hates nothing more than a chowderhead who doesn't know when to shut his big yap...
I'd also like to suggest that Ben Stiller is a protoge of Steve Martin. I mean, there's playing the straight guy but then there's the disasterous-torrents-envelop-me-constantly guy and I think Ben Stiller copied this guy rather closely. I need to find my evidence again, so I'm not yanking a claim out of the air...yep.
[EST]
I like this film. It's 25 minutes in and I'm really enjoying it.
My dad used to quote this one line from the film every so often and then he would have a good hearty laugh about it (every time). I think that line's about to come up, actually.
I can certainly appreciate the things that make my Dad laugh cuz well I on't have a solid reasoning for that. But I can also appreciate Steve Martin. I appreciate him AND John Candy and I feel that putting them toether is a good idea. (Side-note: John Candy seems to be one of the few big-name actors who can co-star with another big-name actor and compliment perfecty. Mmp.)
Kevin Bacon had a cameo early on...which is great.
Ben Stein was one of the airport workers (he announced a cancelled flight). It was cool to see him youngerly enough that his voice was higher. Still classic Ben Stein but not as bass-y.
Also good cameo-but-not: Del Griffith (John Candy's character) is reading a book called "The Canadian Mounted" in his second scene.
Awesome? Matthew Lawrence plays Neal Page's (Steve Martin) son. ..he's seven years old.
I took a break...I liked the film overall. In fact, I think the reason I stopped typing was that I got so into it. It wasn't as cliche/classic as I was expecting.
Until I get new evidence I'm going to posit that this Del character wrote the book on the terrible travel partner. There's even a moment on the plane where he says to Neal how he hates nothing more than a chowderhead who doesn't know when to shut his big yap...
I'd also like to suggest that Ben Stiller is a protoge of Steve Martin. I mean, there's playing the straight guy but then there's the disasterous-torrents-envelop-me-constantly guy and I think Ben Stiller copied this guy rather closely. I need to find my evidence again, so I'm not yanking a claim out of the air...yep.
[EST]
Sunday, 23 November 2008
Jesskah is: definitely black and definitely an American.
(that's my FB status.)
I'm watching Men in Black (1997) right now. I forgot how much I like it. I mean, there are some parts of it that seem to stick out in my memory more than others which make me THINK I don't like it as much... but I do. I especially love the the opening scenes, where Edwards chases the sephalapoid through the streets, on top of a bus, etc.
I do enjoy the interviewing process at MiB HQ with the best of the best of the best. I enjoy how Edwards goes completely against the norm (not as much in a broad social sense but certainly in the specific context) and is approved for it by his superiors (...not his peers). It's important to...stand for your convictions. It's important to do what's right despite what peer pressure would prefer you do. It's important to THINK, esp in spite of.
I like his critical mind and the brilliance of his arguments (explicit or implicit). Think of the eight-year-old with Quantum Physics books hanging out in the ghetto at night who Edwards shot through the head, leaving the alien with the sniffles and the one doing chin-ups to be blasted by the other interviewees.
It's... a kind of underdog bit, isn't it? We see the social tension created, we see his actions questioned by K but we also see the disapproving looks or scoffs from the other men he's competing against which - at least for me - deeply reinforces the notion that it would be much easier for him if he just quit or gave in. Giving in is dumb. According to me, anyways.
I cribbed this line from one of the final scenes. Agent J is smack talking an alien to distract him and says he likes to live by the following principle: "Don't START nothin, won't BE nothin." The whole point, as before stated, was to distract the alien with feisty smack-talk but I thought there was actually some sage to the statement, esp because he was talking about the idea of starting a war (or picking a fight, if you will).
Bad Boys II (2003) came on immediately after. Apparently on Sundays, BBC 5 becomes "Five US" which is kinda cool. It was interesting to see the difference in Will Smith, mostly in terms of how he reflected his career status. You could see from his garb that he was even more hip (even though Smith, as long as I've seen him in the public forum has been on the cutting edge of hip...that's just how he do) than in the late 90s when he was just making it bigtime. (Second blockbuster of his, I think, after Independence Day (1996).) But this was something else. This was like, my-own-style + personal assistant + I'M THAT GOOD. ... which you see more and more in films around his peak (not that he's in a nosedive now).
A big part of why I enjoyed I, Robot (2004) and I am Legend (2007)so much was that they - even Hancock (2008) was that they showed a Will Smith who was settling more into something like humility. He's now taking acting more seriously and becoming more interested in producing good work rather than being popular. It's true that he's still saving the world and he will always have an element of Will Smith in each role, the same way Jim Carrey shows up in each one of his films (maybe with the exception of The Mask (1994) and I have yet to see The Number 23 (2007) which might also qualify) but the characters are getting deeper/accruing more dimensions/becoming more interesting as well as descending from that ethereal place ABOVE the rest of the film.
I like it.
----
What made my day today (aka what got me STOOPID excited today):
Hearing The Prophet's Song on the radio during the drive from Newcastle-upon-Tyne (oh, you BET it's a real name) back to Edinburgh. I would like to suggest: only in England. I don't think any Canadian or American station would play a so scarcely known Queen song. I didn't even know it was a single. (Was it?) I enjoyed it. I half-ly explained to my seat-mate how the song was about Noah, pointing out a few lines: "See? 'Fly and find a new green bough' - that's like the dove... Oh - 'Return like the white dove' - there it is." And later I sang along just to be sure, "And two-by-two, my human zoo, they'll be running forth to come (running forth to come) out of the rain." It's a great song. I was so happy to hear it. :)
I enjoyed that car ride for many reasons. I liked how Shania Twain was on when we entered and my seat-mate called her Celine Dion. I said, "Female Canadian artist...close enough." The next song was by B-rock Adams which prompted me to say, "Two Canadian artists in a row!" and pump my fist accordingly. I wanted to guess who could possibly come third and suggested Bob Dylan because I knew our driver was a fan. He said, "Bob Dylan's not Canadian, is he?" and I affirmed my statement. "I thought he was from [such-and-such town] Minnesota," and my conviction crumpled mid-sentence. "NO, he's not--maybe he's not..?" It was the specific city that really got me. If he had said, "I thought he was American," or, "from Minnesota," I'd have argued further but the man knows Dylan. He's a huger fan than I had anticipated. So I said it was someone I was getting confused with Bob Dylan which actually says a lot about how much I know man's work.
:
Maybe 45 seconds later the driver suggests, "I think Neil Diamond is Canadian." I point and quickly agree, "THAT'S who I was thinking of, yes." The driver explains, "I was trying to think of someone who might be similar.. yeah he's Canadian." Grand.
The next song is big-bandish and my seat-mate thinks it sounds like Michael Bubbles which would have awesomely made us three for three. The car discussed it briefly; it wasn't really loud enough for me to get a good handle on it from the back seat but it was a cover of an olderish song with a Latin flava and the breadth of that voice (along with the orchestral vibe) did sound rather trademark Buble-ish - the stuff that makes the girls swoon. But then I tried, "He sounds kinda like that guy who's name is something like [brief pause], Leon Jackson - actually that's exactly who I meant..." I kinda trailed off surprized that the name came with hardly a delay. I was expecting to make up some name that sounded similar in hopes of getting the car to help me guess and to buy some time to dig deeper. Hahah but it came out. Turns out it was Leon. I like him. He.... yeah. More on that later. Moron that later.
who you callin a maroon?
My dad says that sometimes...he's quoting Bugs Bunny.
[EST]
I'm watching Men in Black (1997) right now. I forgot how much I like it. I mean, there are some parts of it that seem to stick out in my memory more than others which make me THINK I don't like it as much... but I do. I especially love the the opening scenes, where Edwards chases the sephalapoid through the streets, on top of a bus, etc.
I do enjoy the interviewing process at MiB HQ with the best of the best of the best. I enjoy how Edwards goes completely against the norm (not as much in a broad social sense but certainly in the specific context) and is approved for it by his superiors (...not his peers). It's important to...stand for your convictions. It's important to do what's right despite what peer pressure would prefer you do. It's important to THINK, esp in spite of.
I like his critical mind and the brilliance of his arguments (explicit or implicit). Think of the eight-year-old with Quantum Physics books hanging out in the ghetto at night who Edwards shot through the head, leaving the alien with the sniffles and the one doing chin-ups to be blasted by the other interviewees.
It's... a kind of underdog bit, isn't it? We see the social tension created, we see his actions questioned by K but we also see the disapproving looks or scoffs from the other men he's competing against which - at least for me - deeply reinforces the notion that it would be much easier for him if he just quit or gave in. Giving in is dumb. According to me, anyways.
I cribbed this line from one of the final scenes. Agent J is smack talking an alien to distract him and says he likes to live by the following principle: "Don't START nothin, won't BE nothin." The whole point, as before stated, was to distract the alien with feisty smack-talk but I thought there was actually some sage to the statement, esp because he was talking about the idea of starting a war (or picking a fight, if you will).
Bad Boys II (2003) came on immediately after. Apparently on Sundays, BBC 5 becomes "Five US" which is kinda cool. It was interesting to see the difference in Will Smith, mostly in terms of how he reflected his career status. You could see from his garb that he was even more hip (even though Smith, as long as I've seen him in the public forum has been on the cutting edge of hip...that's just how he do) than in the late 90s when he was just making it bigtime. (Second blockbuster of his, I think, after Independence Day (1996).) But this was something else. This was like, my-own-style + personal assistant + I'M THAT GOOD. ... which you see more and more in films around his peak (not that he's in a nosedive now).
A big part of why I enjoyed I, Robot (2004) and I am Legend (2007)so much was that they - even Hancock (2008) was that they showed a Will Smith who was settling more into something like humility. He's now taking acting more seriously and becoming more interested in producing good work rather than being popular. It's true that he's still saving the world and he will always have an element of Will Smith in each role, the same way Jim Carrey shows up in each one of his films (maybe with the exception of The Mask (1994) and I have yet to see The Number 23 (2007) which might also qualify) but the characters are getting deeper/accruing more dimensions/becoming more interesting as well as descending from that ethereal place ABOVE the rest of the film.
I like it.
----
What made my day today (aka what got me STOOPID excited today):
Hearing The Prophet's Song on the radio during the drive from Newcastle-upon-Tyne (oh, you BET it's a real name) back to Edinburgh. I would like to suggest: only in England. I don't think any Canadian or American station would play a so scarcely known Queen song. I didn't even know it was a single. (Was it?) I enjoyed it. I half-ly explained to my seat-mate how the song was about Noah, pointing out a few lines: "See? 'Fly and find a new green bough' - that's like the dove... Oh - 'Return like the white dove' - there it is." And later I sang along just to be sure, "And two-by-two, my human zoo, they'll be running forth to come (running forth to come) out of the rain." It's a great song. I was so happy to hear it. :)
I enjoyed that car ride for many reasons. I liked how Shania Twain was on when we entered and my seat-mate called her Celine Dion. I said, "Female Canadian artist...close enough." The next song was by B-rock Adams which prompted me to say, "Two Canadian artists in a row!" and pump my fist accordingly. I wanted to guess who could possibly come third and suggested Bob Dylan because I knew our driver was a fan. He said, "Bob Dylan's not Canadian, is he?" and I affirmed my statement. "I thought he was from [such-and-such town] Minnesota," and my conviction crumpled mid-sentence. "NO, he's not--maybe he's not..?" It was the specific city that really got me. If he had said, "I thought he was American," or, "from Minnesota," I'd have argued further but the man knows Dylan. He's a huger fan than I had anticipated. So I said it was someone I was getting confused with Bob Dylan which actually says a lot about how much I know man's work.
:
Maybe 45 seconds later the driver suggests, "I think Neil Diamond is Canadian." I point and quickly agree, "THAT'S who I was thinking of, yes." The driver explains, "I was trying to think of someone who might be similar.. yeah he's Canadian." Grand.
The next song is big-bandish and my seat-mate thinks it sounds like Michael Bubbles which would have awesomely made us three for three. The car discussed it briefly; it wasn't really loud enough for me to get a good handle on it from the back seat but it was a cover of an olderish song with a Latin flava and the breadth of that voice (along with the orchestral vibe) did sound rather trademark Buble-ish - the stuff that makes the girls swoon. But then I tried, "He sounds kinda like that guy who's name is something like [brief pause], Leon Jackson - actually that's exactly who I meant..." I kinda trailed off surprized that the name came with hardly a delay. I was expecting to make up some name that sounded similar in hopes of getting the car to help me guess and to buy some time to dig deeper. Hahah but it came out. Turns out it was Leon. I like him. He.... yeah. More on that later. Moron that later.
who you callin a maroon?
My dad says that sometimes...he's quoting Bugs Bunny.
[EST]
Tuesday, 18 November 2008
The court in Douai ruled that virginity "is not an essential quality in that its absence has no repercussion on matrimonial life."
http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2008/11/17/marriage-unanulled.html
Awesome.
[EST]
http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2008/11/17/marriage-unanulled.html
Awesome.
[EST]
Monday, 17 November 2008
"Horton Hears a Who!" (2008)
I thought this was a great film. Excellent, even.
I would love to buy a copy of it...and maybe even the soundtrack. I've never been a soundtrack-buying person...I did get the track to That Thing You Do (1996) one Christmas which turned out to be awesome (with the exception of two tracks...still awesome) and I did pick up the soundtrack to Batman Forever (1995) on a whim from a second-hand shop. I think I've listened to it twice. But I don't regret it.
I exclaimed my desire for soundtrack buying in the final scene when Carrell and Carrey harmonized some line of a song in a very dramatic way. It was just....awesome, I think because I love both those guys AND I know they can both sing. It's just..the whole film was surreal in a way.
--
In other news, today I met a fella called Eoghann who was Scottish indeed. His name is pronounced as Ewan which really threw me off because I've seen "Eoghan" pronounced as Owen (Northern Ireland) and Ian I'm not sure from where. Same spelling three distinct pronunciations. Grand.
Anyways, at some point during our conversation (this was a two-on-one campus evangelisma conversation), he said, "Gordon Brown is not Prime Minister, he's a fat guy in a chair," and I remember laughing REALLY loudly (louder than you should with people you've just met). Then he said, "Isn't that just like what happened with Hitler?" Phoo!
I think I was really surprized in that moment in his social/political awareness which comes from me misreading him as a person or possibly misreading the culture. Either way, it was a cool (and hilarious) moment of life.
I really enjoyed my conversation with him. I think that my evange partner and I balanced each other well in the conversation. Lately I've noticed that I seem to be the one who wants to hear what they have to say and work through their ideas - take abstract walks through the grounds, so to speak - before I lay the smackdown. I don't mean to temper the Gospel or let it slide when they say being a good person is good enough...no. But I'm more interested (at least off the bat) in knowing where they are coming from and HOW they got there. Next, I'm sure I'd be interested in what their take on what I'm saying is and then what will bridge that gap. What gets you from your camp to mine? That's not something I ask directly but without being able to unravel what you've constructed, I can't expect you to see very clearly.
I know sometimes unravelling isn't necessary. I know sometimes unravelling doesn't work - you just tangle more and fight, fight, fight me the whole way.
Still, this is my tendency. I'm OK with it. Some people are just throwing up barricades to tire you out. Some people have genuine obstacles. I guess I always assume people are in the second camp but often others discern that they're in the first camp and I don't. I'm wasting time unscrewing the hinge on the gate while they're putting the wrecking ball in place.
Mmm. We're all on a team. Really.
When it was mentioned how we'd spend the next two hours, teammate-to-my-left says, "I'll go with Jesskah!" rather quickly with a (classic) daffy grin and exaggerated half-leap in my direction. Then he, for the sake of formality, asks if that's OK with me (as if there's any socially acceptable way for me to say no....this isn't translating very well electronically) and I'm nodding as he's asking planning to dismiss the question as quickly and quietly as possible.
I was surprized and flattered by his hastiness. I mean.. knowing him it was just random and he was feelin weird. But seriously, I know I'm the person who has the most patience for him and though I don't always understand him, we connect well on certain things AND he knows I listen to him. I think he trusts me, too. So I'm happy. And it's not like charity work..it's like I genuinely care for him and want to be a friend to him. (It's so weird to say these things about a dude and mean it with no strings attached. ...Weird and cool.)
Good part on the tail end: When we were explaining to the grizzoup what had transpired in our conversation, evange partner mentioned, "Jesskah and I make a good tag team," and THAT just about made my day ('cept it had kinda been made a few times before and after that point.... GOOD day) because during the conversation I had been wondering how he felt about my contribution to the conversation. Sometimes I fed off what he said (I tried to do that most times so we looked like a unified front), sometimes I started new veins altogether and, most critical to me, sometimes I was bailing Eoghann out. I don't really love doing that to evange partners (e.p.) but sometimes it seems necessary.
I hear with the ears of a non-believer. I have to because a believer will nod and smile brainlessly in agreement if someone's sharing the Gospel or speaking Biblical truth (which e.p. was). But it doesn't matter what a believer thinks; this has got nothing to do with how much sense I/we can make to someone who already knows Him. So, when it looks like you sound like their grandfather or bad church press or it's just not getting across, I'm going to come in and temper it. That's what I do! Heck, I do enjoy doing it but I know sometimes it can look like I am trying to make my e.p. look bad (up-tight, out-dated, etc.) and I need to AVOID that.
I guess what I want is for the other person to know that I am hearing what they have said and that I understand how what we're saying sounds to them. Audacious, I know.
I wanted Eoghann to know that I could read his body language. He was being very polite and seemed to be listening to everything we had said throughout the whole conversation. But he closed off a little bit when, "That's why God sent His Son," came around because he'd heard it before. I KNOW he has. I'm not saying we need to stop sharing the Gospel with people who have already heard it.
No.
I'm not saying, either, that we need to abandon such phrases as "God sent His Son" no matter how much they are overused into powerlessness because if I know anything, it's that language can revive itself and is constantly being reinvented. What I am saying, however, is that we need to tailor our speech to the individual listener. There's no other way.
It was important to acknowledge that his Reverend Grandfather and other life influences had given him a healthy stock of *!!SHINY, NEW!!* squeaky clean "Gospel" presentations...and this wasn't going to look any different, not to him anyways. It was too stigmatized and cloaked in connotations of religiousness, stuff for other people and things that would ruin his fun. (He made that last part rather clear.)
At one point he asked rather rhetorically, "How can you not go to Hell," and, coming from someone else, that might have been an indication of prime receptiveness to the Gospezillio. In this case, it wasn't. It should have been easy to say, "Accept Christ," or "let Christ go to Hell for you," but that wouldn't have made sense or helped the matter. I really liked the way he phrased the question because it's usually an opposite that we hear. I needed a moment to deliberate and emitted a leading, "Welll..." hanging onto the Ls for a bit when e.p. swooped in and talked about subsitutions. I think to me myself, "Well, this is OK. He is indeed speaking the truth and my tame words of rapport-building aren't optimal."
Still...I wish there was something more differentish that I could have said.
Shoosh. I'm having a flash back to the late summer-ish of 2007 when someone asked me if another someone in the room was going to Hell. She was intentionally putting me in a tight spot (to prove a point - so she thought) and I did the same, "Well..." which someone else seemed to take as permission to swoop in with their two cents. Sheesh, I HATE that kind of swooping, I really do. Impatience bothers me sometimes. Well... it bothers me as a disposition.
In the late summer-ish of 2007 I wish I had said yes because the shocked pause (or half-pause) I would have gotten would have given me time to think and to explain. If I had given the contentious answer, the focus would have remained on me; I'd be the opponent. I know I'm right and I need to just be confident in that and know that a) my further explanation will help immensely and b) God opens hearts to understanding as His sovereignty dictates. End.
Wow, as if I'm still typing. This is getting long...ger.
Maybe I think I need people to trust me before they will take my words at face value. Maybe I think they won't listen if they don't know I've listened to them. This is at least true of the downtown ministry, anyways. Peeeple like to vent! It's true.
Well...
mmm. I have much to think about. And a bed to lie in. Yes.
I would love to buy a copy of it...and maybe even the soundtrack. I've never been a soundtrack-buying person...I did get the track to That Thing You Do (1996) one Christmas which turned out to be awesome (with the exception of two tracks...still awesome) and I did pick up the soundtrack to Batman Forever (1995) on a whim from a second-hand shop. I think I've listened to it twice. But I don't regret it.
I exclaimed my desire for soundtrack buying in the final scene when Carrell and Carrey harmonized some line of a song in a very dramatic way. It was just....awesome, I think because I love both those guys AND I know they can both sing. It's just..the whole film was surreal in a way.
--
In other news, today I met a fella called Eoghann who was Scottish indeed. His name is pronounced as Ewan which really threw me off because I've seen "Eoghan" pronounced as Owen (Northern Ireland) and Ian I'm not sure from where. Same spelling three distinct pronunciations. Grand.
Anyways, at some point during our conversation (this was a two-on-one campus evangelisma conversation), he said, "Gordon Brown is not Prime Minister, he's a fat guy in a chair," and I remember laughing REALLY loudly (louder than you should with people you've just met). Then he said, "Isn't that just like what happened with Hitler?" Phoo!
I think I was really surprized in that moment in his social/political awareness which comes from me misreading him as a person or possibly misreading the culture. Either way, it was a cool (and hilarious) moment of life.
I really enjoyed my conversation with him. I think that my evange partner and I balanced each other well in the conversation. Lately I've noticed that I seem to be the one who wants to hear what they have to say and work through their ideas - take abstract walks through the grounds, so to speak - before I lay the smackdown. I don't mean to temper the Gospel or let it slide when they say being a good person is good enough...no. But I'm more interested (at least off the bat) in knowing where they are coming from and HOW they got there. Next, I'm sure I'd be interested in what their take on what I'm saying is and then what will bridge that gap. What gets you from your camp to mine? That's not something I ask directly but without being able to unravel what you've constructed, I can't expect you to see very clearly.
I know sometimes unravelling isn't necessary. I know sometimes unravelling doesn't work - you just tangle more and fight, fight, fight me the whole way.
Still, this is my tendency. I'm OK with it. Some people are just throwing up barricades to tire you out. Some people have genuine obstacles. I guess I always assume people are in the second camp but often others discern that they're in the first camp and I don't. I'm wasting time unscrewing the hinge on the gate while they're putting the wrecking ball in place.
Mmm. We're all on a team. Really.
When it was mentioned how we'd spend the next two hours, teammate-to-my-left says, "I'll go with Jesskah!" rather quickly with a (classic) daffy grin and exaggerated half-leap in my direction. Then he, for the sake of formality, asks if that's OK with me (as if there's any socially acceptable way for me to say no....this isn't translating very well electronically) and I'm nodding as he's asking planning to dismiss the question as quickly and quietly as possible.
I was surprized and flattered by his hastiness. I mean.. knowing him it was just random and he was feelin weird. But seriously, I know I'm the person who has the most patience for him and though I don't always understand him, we connect well on certain things AND he knows I listen to him. I think he trusts me, too. So I'm happy. And it's not like charity work..it's like I genuinely care for him and want to be a friend to him. (It's so weird to say these things about a dude and mean it with no strings attached. ...Weird and cool.)
Good part on the tail end: When we were explaining to the grizzoup what had transpired in our conversation, evange partner mentioned, "Jesskah and I make a good tag team," and THAT just about made my day ('cept it had kinda been made a few times before and after that point.... GOOD day) because during the conversation I had been wondering how he felt about my contribution to the conversation. Sometimes I fed off what he said (I tried to do that most times so we looked like a unified front), sometimes I started new veins altogether and, most critical to me, sometimes I was bailing Eoghann out. I don't really love doing that to evange partners (e.p.) but sometimes it seems necessary.
I hear with the ears of a non-believer. I have to because a believer will nod and smile brainlessly in agreement if someone's sharing the Gospel or speaking Biblical truth (which e.p. was). But it doesn't matter what a believer thinks; this has got nothing to do with how much sense I/we can make to someone who already knows Him. So, when it looks like you sound like their grandfather or bad church press or it's just not getting across, I'm going to come in and temper it. That's what I do! Heck, I do enjoy doing it but I know sometimes it can look like I am trying to make my e.p. look bad (up-tight, out-dated, etc.) and I need to AVOID that.
I guess what I want is for the other person to know that I am hearing what they have said and that I understand how what we're saying sounds to them. Audacious, I know.
I wanted Eoghann to know that I could read his body language. He was being very polite and seemed to be listening to everything we had said throughout the whole conversation. But he closed off a little bit when, "That's why God sent His Son," came around because he'd heard it before. I KNOW he has. I'm not saying we need to stop sharing the Gospel with people who have already heard it.
No.
I'm not saying, either, that we need to abandon such phrases as "God sent His Son" no matter how much they are overused into powerlessness because if I know anything, it's that language can revive itself and is constantly being reinvented. What I am saying, however, is that we need to tailor our speech to the individual listener. There's no other way.
It was important to acknowledge that his Reverend Grandfather and other life influences had given him a healthy stock of *!!SHINY, NEW!!* squeaky clean "Gospel" presentations...and this wasn't going to look any different, not to him anyways. It was too stigmatized and cloaked in connotations of religiousness, stuff for other people and things that would ruin his fun. (He made that last part rather clear.)
At one point he asked rather rhetorically, "How can you not go to Hell," and, coming from someone else, that might have been an indication of prime receptiveness to the Gospezillio. In this case, it wasn't. It should have been easy to say, "Accept Christ," or "let Christ go to Hell for you," but that wouldn't have made sense or helped the matter. I really liked the way he phrased the question because it's usually an opposite that we hear. I needed a moment to deliberate and emitted a leading, "Welll..." hanging onto the Ls for a bit when e.p. swooped in and talked about subsitutions. I think to me myself, "Well, this is OK. He is indeed speaking the truth and my tame words of rapport-building aren't optimal."
Still...I wish there was something more differentish that I could have said.
Shoosh. I'm having a flash back to the late summer-ish of 2007 when someone asked me if another someone in the room was going to Hell. She was intentionally putting me in a tight spot (to prove a point - so she thought) and I did the same, "Well..." which someone else seemed to take as permission to swoop in with their two cents. Sheesh, I HATE that kind of swooping, I really do. Impatience bothers me sometimes. Well... it bothers me as a disposition.
In the late summer-ish of 2007 I wish I had said yes because the shocked pause (or half-pause) I would have gotten would have given me time to think and to explain. If I had given the contentious answer, the focus would have remained on me; I'd be the opponent. I know I'm right and I need to just be confident in that and know that a) my further explanation will help immensely and b) God opens hearts to understanding as His sovereignty dictates. End.
Wow, as if I'm still typing. This is getting long...ger.
Maybe I think I need people to trust me before they will take my words at face value. Maybe I think they won't listen if they don't know I've listened to them. This is at least true of the downtown ministry, anyways. Peeeple like to vent! It's true.
Well...
mmm. I have much to think about. And a bed to lie in. Yes.
Saturday, 15 November 2008
music memories
Justin Timberturd. "Like I Love You." Justified. Jive, 2002.
singing the descant part over the chorus ("I jus wanna love you babay...ya-ah-yeah-yeah...") octaves apart with my Dad in his Aztec Rendezvous with my Dad when the song was new and JT as a solo artist was new. I remember it being summer, I remember the, "He's the new MJ!" hype and I enjoyed having that discussion (i.e. hearing that lecture) with (from) my Dad who was around when MJ was doing his thing.
Brook Benton. "Rainy Night in Georgia." Brook Benton Today. Cotillion/Atlantic, 1969.
this song always makes me think of my parternal grandfather who I love dearly. he's a sweet man and I'm amiss for not knowing him better. (the tragedy deepens when we realize he is alive and well yet.) my mother heard me playing this song once, what must be about 8 years ago, and said, "Your Grandpa loves this song." It was a random purchase, an "R&B Superhits" album and that was probably the last time I listened to it outloud (now with headph-s) and the only time she said that to me....but every time I hear it my heart sinks a little to bitter-sweetly thing of my g-pa or ,"Jumpa," as we called him as kids. Grandma and Grandpa were "Jumpa and Jumpa" to us.
There should be more of these but I'm blanking at the mo.
[EST]
singing the descant part over the chorus ("I jus wanna love you babay...ya-ah-yeah-yeah...") octaves apart with my Dad in his Aztec Rendezvous with my Dad when the song was new and JT as a solo artist was new. I remember it being summer, I remember the, "He's the new MJ!" hype and I enjoyed having that discussion (i.e. hearing that lecture) with (from) my Dad who was around when MJ was doing his thing.
Brook Benton. "Rainy Night in Georgia." Brook Benton Today. Cotillion/Atlantic, 1969.
this song always makes me think of my parternal grandfather who I love dearly. he's a sweet man and I'm amiss for not knowing him better. (the tragedy deepens when we realize he is alive and well yet.) my mother heard me playing this song once, what must be about 8 years ago, and said, "Your Grandpa loves this song." It was a random purchase, an "R&B Superhits" album and that was probably the last time I listened to it outloud (now with headph-s) and the only time she said that to me....but every time I hear it my heart sinks a little to bitter-sweetly thing of my g-pa or ,"Jumpa," as we called him as kids. Grandma and Grandpa were "Jumpa and Jumpa" to us.
There should be more of these but I'm blanking at the mo.
[EST]
Wednesday, 12 November 2008
this is the first month that chocolate made sense to me.
genetics...biology...physics...physiology...call it what you want. chocolate makes sense and I am GLAD for it. 230g of DairyMilk Whole Nut for £1?? Shut up!!
[EST]
[EST]
Sunday, 9 November 2008
jeudi passé
Last Thursday I went to a place called Jam House with a friend who swing dances because the establishment was featuring a swing band that night. They started off with a great swing song ..the classic one that everyone knows..probably Benny Goodmanish and my jaw dropped. I really thought that it was the PA system was playing a swing song to get us in the mood while they warmed up. They barely moved, they were so focussed and clean...it took me a few seconds to figure out the greatness that I was beholding.
They played maybe 40% swing stuff in the two sets I stayed for and the rest was pretty much all pop songs, either swing-ed or differently arranged or just kept in their original form.
They did Candy Man by Christina Aguliera which impressed me... They had one female singer (actually a saxophonist...WHAT?) who looked like she had lost her zest for life and was only doing this because she had nothing better to do. Her voice was awesome but her lack-lustre dress and un-moved face actually detracted from the performance. Turns out Mr Oswald (my high school band teacher) was onto something. I mean, I always knew it was IMPORTANT to look like to cared about or were invested in what you were doing. But I've never seen so disparate a contrast.
There was also one male singer who dressed and sounded like Frank Sinatra. I say that because of how he shaped his voice and the songs he sang but I actually don't know Sinatra THAT well, nor do I care for him like most people do. Even still, this guy was awesome. I was really having trouble processing the fact that I wasn't in the 1940s. It was gross. He had the silverish grey suit, the black tie loosed and the fedora cocked at the appropriate angle. Even the way he sang TO the crowd and held the mic and everything showed how much he loved doing what he did. He was also a saxophonist, which I don't want to talk about. His singing voice was a perfect crooner, American-giant style but his speaking voice had a THICK Scottish brogue that I actually couldn't decipher most of. Cool, man. I wanna go back next Thursday.
I now officially have respect for the dance that is Swing. Before I counted it the same as all dance...that I don't understand it and that it takes discipline and that it's beautiful when done well. But a few of my friends were out there, cutting rugs, and they have been at this for at least two years each and it just shows. I mean, the runners they had on looked 50s and the clothing added to the effect (I'm pretty sure they compiled their dress that way on purpose - I know my housemate did, anyways). I was just....I love feeling temporally transported. And I was mesmerized. It's one thing to see a) professionals, b) elderly folk (there in the original era!), and c) amateurs-made-good do it but to see my own dang ol friends just walk away from me, start bouncing in time at the edge of the dance floor and then RIP into it...sheesh. Flabbergastion..that's what befell me.
After the first dance, they returned to where I was hanging. The next song came on and, apparently, it's customary at these things for any dancer to ask any other dancer they want to ask and partner tradeage happened all through the evening. I think that's cool. Gotta love sub-communities. But um, my male friend (that sounds sketch-o) was asked by a woman who was about twice his age and he's 27. She might have been older. But she was CLEARLY a master. When he came back, I asked, "Are you a gazelle?" And then he and my other friend both smiled and I thought it was just at the seeming absurdity of what I had said. I tried in the next few nanoseconds to assess whether I needed to explain further (and how) or if I should just let it go and see if it comes to them later. Then male friend firmly agreed: "YES," with a nod and a growing smile. "I'm a weak and helpless gazelle -" he contorts his body very awkwardly to illustrate "-on the Serengeti plains," and it's clear in this moment that they BOTH got it, right away.
:)
Oh, how happy it makes me to be in the company of people who share such wavelengths with my person. I like that they are older than me because all the stuff I remember (music, television, films) is stuff THEY remember. My "time" (or generation -ish) reaches back farther than it should (like really I've pirated my moms' generation and older sister's) for someone my age and, truth be told, I LOVE that about my life. Howeverbag, it can be frustrating when hanging out with agemates often means being left hanging in the wind.
I also enjoyed that he took the joke to the next level and made ME laugh. AAaha. It helped to flush out the discomfort he was trying to mask throughout the dance - discomfort I wasn't sure I had seen until this moment. So... it was a ... it was a sneaky & quick bonding "I gotcha" moment. We have many of those. I appreciate it/them.
In my mind the moment of realization brought more endorphins than I would have expected. Perhaps I don't need to rain on this TOO much longer but I would like to try to accurately describe the mental picture I had when it clicked.
It's like plugging in your appliance before the battery runs out... It's like having spare batteries in the car meaning you don't need to get off the highway for more... It's better than that but it's similar. It's the evasion of a could-be-necessary stop which garners a little pick-me-up, if just for a moment. I can't explain it!
To REALLY get where I'm going, I'd have so say something impossible, like changing a tire while still driving. :) Someone told me last week that professional/competative cyclist's crews come along side them in vans and make adjustments/do tune-ups while the cyclists continue riding. Ohh how cool. Kinda like that. 'Cept those cyclists would expect it...they probably pay for it but ..it's close. Agg. Stink.
They played maybe 40% swing stuff in the two sets I stayed for and the rest was pretty much all pop songs, either swing-ed or differently arranged or just kept in their original form.
They did Candy Man by Christina Aguliera which impressed me... They had one female singer (actually a saxophonist...WHAT?) who looked like she had lost her zest for life and was only doing this because she had nothing better to do. Her voice was awesome but her lack-lustre dress and un-moved face actually detracted from the performance. Turns out Mr Oswald (my high school band teacher) was onto something. I mean, I always knew it was IMPORTANT to look like to cared about or were invested in what you were doing. But I've never seen so disparate a contrast.
There was also one male singer who dressed and sounded like Frank Sinatra. I say that because of how he shaped his voice and the songs he sang but I actually don't know Sinatra THAT well, nor do I care for him like most people do. Even still, this guy was awesome. I was really having trouble processing the fact that I wasn't in the 1940s. It was gross. He had the silverish grey suit, the black tie loosed and the fedora cocked at the appropriate angle. Even the way he sang TO the crowd and held the mic and everything showed how much he loved doing what he did. He was also a saxophonist, which I don't want to talk about. His singing voice was a perfect crooner, American-giant style but his speaking voice had a THICK Scottish brogue that I actually couldn't decipher most of. Cool, man. I wanna go back next Thursday.
I now officially have respect for the dance that is Swing. Before I counted it the same as all dance...that I don't understand it and that it takes discipline and that it's beautiful when done well. But a few of my friends were out there, cutting rugs, and they have been at this for at least two years each and it just shows. I mean, the runners they had on looked 50s and the clothing added to the effect (I'm pretty sure they compiled their dress that way on purpose - I know my housemate did, anyways). I was just....I love feeling temporally transported. And I was mesmerized. It's one thing to see a) professionals, b) elderly folk (there in the original era!), and c) amateurs-made-good do it but to see my own dang ol friends just walk away from me, start bouncing in time at the edge of the dance floor and then RIP into it...sheesh. Flabbergastion..that's what befell me.
After the first dance, they returned to where I was hanging. The next song came on and, apparently, it's customary at these things for any dancer to ask any other dancer they want to ask and partner tradeage happened all through the evening. I think that's cool. Gotta love sub-communities. But um, my male friend (that sounds sketch-o) was asked by a woman who was about twice his age and he's 27. She might have been older. But she was CLEARLY a master. When he came back, I asked, "Are you a gazelle?" And then he and my other friend both smiled and I thought it was just at the seeming absurdity of what I had said. I tried in the next few nanoseconds to assess whether I needed to explain further (and how) or if I should just let it go and see if it comes to them later. Then male friend firmly agreed: "YES," with a nod and a growing smile. "I'm a weak and helpless gazelle -" he contorts his body very awkwardly to illustrate "-on the Serengeti plains," and it's clear in this moment that they BOTH got it, right away.
:)
Oh, how happy it makes me to be in the company of people who share such wavelengths with my person. I like that they are older than me because all the stuff I remember (music, television, films) is stuff THEY remember. My "time" (or generation -ish) reaches back farther than it should (like really I've pirated my moms' generation and older sister's) for someone my age and, truth be told, I LOVE that about my life. Howeverbag, it can be frustrating when hanging out with agemates often means being left hanging in the wind.
I also enjoyed that he took the joke to the next level and made ME laugh. AAaha. It helped to flush out the discomfort he was trying to mask throughout the dance - discomfort I wasn't sure I had seen until this moment. So... it was a ... it was a sneaky & quick bonding "I gotcha" moment. We have many of those. I appreciate it/them.
In my mind the moment of realization brought more endorphins than I would have expected. Perhaps I don't need to rain on this TOO much longer but I would like to try to accurately describe the mental picture I had when it clicked.
It's like plugging in your appliance before the battery runs out... It's like having spare batteries in the car meaning you don't need to get off the highway for more... It's better than that but it's similar. It's the evasion of a could-be-necessary stop which garners a little pick-me-up, if just for a moment. I can't explain it!
To REALLY get where I'm going, I'd have so say something impossible, like changing a tire while still driving. :) Someone told me last week that professional/competative cyclist's crews come along side them in vans and make adjustments/do tune-ups while the cyclists continue riding. Ohh how cool. Kinda like that. 'Cept those cyclists would expect it...they probably pay for it but ..it's close. Agg. Stink.
Saturday, 8 November 2008
this has been bothering me for a while.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=OYXBigPJI_c
Jamie Foxx is friggin disgusting. There. I said it.
(WHAT?)
I promise you I have watched this video at least a dozen times and I could watch it again tomorrow. I think I first found it about two weeks ago...I overdosed at one point (watched it thrice in one day) and took a break for a while. Then I remembered it again today.
THAT GUY HAS SO MUCH TALENT THAT IT DISTURBS ME.
It doesn't really disturb me. It fascinates and impresses me. I watch him (on his show, on films, doing stand-up, in interviews, hosting) and I get excited for what's yet to come. I don't know where exactly he started his career or when but I do remember him being around for a while. I remember when he came out of obscurity into the mainstream and knowing that I had been there before (it's weird when that happens...tres weird).
He's just...full of potential, I guess you could say. Improv skillz are...just mad. He is actually a great actor and I will point to Ray (2004) to back that up, since I don't think anyone would argue with me on that one. The man is hilarious. He knows how to write jokes and he has excellent timing. On top of this, OH, on top of this he is an amazing singer. Take my...professional opinion, if you can. I'm not a professional...but I know a few things about music. In the clip above I heard him go slightly flat at one point..and that was a part in which he was showing off so basically, if he stuck within the realm of what he's capable of, we could say he's bang-on. It's the pitch... it's the flexibility of his voice that you see in the clip through a) his ad-libbing and b) his ability to do great impressions. Those are great impressions. I don't know if you know all three of those singers (I was so happy when I discovered I did. :) ...impressions don't really work other wise) but he does very well and doesn't just SOUND LIKE THEM but he changes the melody to fit, the words and the way he accompanies himself. (Let's not even talk about the piano skillz. They make me a little sad, actually, wondering how I'll ever measure up.)
I guess what makes this man and his talent that much MORE fascinating to me is wondering where he stands with God. I've heard enough (from him) to know that they were once pretty close but lately (this is my perception) it seems like not so much.
I look at people with what seems like excessive talent and skill and understand how God has blessed them. (This is not unfairness or favoritism on His part, NO.) I understand how these folks are charged, commissioned to use what they've got for the glory of Him and His kingdom on earth. In this way, I am saddened to see a not-so-direct glorifying of God through Foxx's endeavors. On the other hand, I don't know the man and I have no idea what's going on in his life.
I'm ...thrilled by the thought of what he could do if all his work (as an actor/singer/writer/performer) pointed directly back to the Father of Heavenly Lights who does not change like shifting shadows. I just wonder...
I have access through YouTube to many professionaly recorded and released songs either featuring Jamie Foxx or ft. Jamie Foxx and I haven't listened to many of them. I listened to one or two and now I'm afraid of being disappointed. Afraid of disillusionment, I suppose. Hmm. Yes, I know what that sounds like.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=bbOOhaNlmmQ
I would like to buy his album though, by way of supporting him, no matter how much I might like or not care for the songs on it. (I don't actually know yet.) As I was flipping through other videos or watching something I thought, "WHY doesn't this guy just record for real and sell this stuff?? I'd buy it!" And I know many of many others would, too. Turns out he.... did and does. So.. I'll procure. Unfortunately the person who rubberstamps what gets sold in the UK doesn't think Brits would buy it... so I might have to wait. But that's OK. Until then I keep Tubeing and hoping and asking God to tell me secret secrets about people I don't know. Sometimes He does. :)
[EST]
Jamie Foxx is friggin disgusting. There. I said it.
(WHAT?)
I promise you I have watched this video at least a dozen times and I could watch it again tomorrow. I think I first found it about two weeks ago...I overdosed at one point (watched it thrice in one day) and took a break for a while. Then I remembered it again today.
THAT GUY HAS SO MUCH TALENT THAT IT DISTURBS ME.
It doesn't really disturb me. It fascinates and impresses me. I watch him (on his show, on films, doing stand-up, in interviews, hosting) and I get excited for what's yet to come. I don't know where exactly he started his career or when but I do remember him being around for a while. I remember when he came out of obscurity into the mainstream and knowing that I had been there before (it's weird when that happens...tres weird).
He's just...full of potential, I guess you could say. Improv skillz are...just mad. He is actually a great actor and I will point to Ray (2004) to back that up, since I don't think anyone would argue with me on that one. The man is hilarious. He knows how to write jokes and he has excellent timing. On top of this, OH, on top of this he is an amazing singer. Take my...professional opinion, if you can. I'm not a professional...but I know a few things about music. In the clip above I heard him go slightly flat at one point..and that was a part in which he was showing off so basically, if he stuck within the realm of what he's capable of, we could say he's bang-on. It's the pitch... it's the flexibility of his voice that you see in the clip through a) his ad-libbing and b) his ability to do great impressions. Those are great impressions. I don't know if you know all three of those singers (I was so happy when I discovered I did. :) ...impressions don't really work other wise) but he does very well and doesn't just SOUND LIKE THEM but he changes the melody to fit, the words and the way he accompanies himself. (Let's not even talk about the piano skillz. They make me a little sad, actually, wondering how I'll ever measure up.)
I guess what makes this man and his talent that much MORE fascinating to me is wondering where he stands with God. I've heard enough (from him) to know that they were once pretty close but lately (this is my perception) it seems like not so much.
I look at people with what seems like excessive talent and skill and understand how God has blessed them. (This is not unfairness or favoritism on His part, NO.) I understand how these folks are charged, commissioned to use what they've got for the glory of Him and His kingdom on earth. In this way, I am saddened to see a not-so-direct glorifying of God through Foxx's endeavors. On the other hand, I don't know the man and I have no idea what's going on in his life.
I'm ...thrilled by the thought of what he could do if all his work (as an actor/singer/writer/performer) pointed directly back to the Father of Heavenly Lights who does not change like shifting shadows. I just wonder...
I have access through YouTube to many professionaly recorded and released songs either featuring Jamie Foxx or ft. Jamie Foxx and I haven't listened to many of them. I listened to one or two and now I'm afraid of being disappointed. Afraid of disillusionment, I suppose. Hmm. Yes, I know what that sounds like.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=bbOOhaNlmmQ
I would like to buy his album though, by way of supporting him, no matter how much I might like or not care for the songs on it. (I don't actually know yet.) As I was flipping through other videos or watching something I thought, "WHY doesn't this guy just record for real and sell this stuff?? I'd buy it!" And I know many of many others would, too. Turns out he.... did and does. So.. I'll procure. Unfortunately the person who rubberstamps what gets sold in the UK doesn't think Brits would buy it... so I might have to wait. But that's OK. Until then I keep Tubeing and hoping and asking God to tell me secret secrets about people I don't know. Sometimes He does. :)
[EST]
Monday, 3 November 2008
one of my favorite scenes
from Big Daddy (1999), is maybe not what you'd think. Perhaps it's not what I'd think, either.
When Sonny is bathing Fwankenstein, the kid stands up and says, "Why do I have to wear my bave-ing suit in the baff," or something to that effect. Sonny replies, "I don't know the rules about little kids and nakedness ..and just siddown," (again a paraphrase).
I dunno what it is about that moment...I just like it. The main thing I'd like is that it's a protection (or at least respect for) innocence but MORE than this, it's in a context (the whole film, I mean) where you might not expect such things to be sacred.
---
Today I laughed a lot and REALLY hard. I don't remember all of the things I was laughing at but I do know that the person I was sitting across a rather small table from, "working", was in a particularly silly mood and he's already (a) hilarious and (b) always on.
Yes, I've noticed this about myself in recent weeks: once you set the base-line to be comedic or given to laughing, each subsequent laugh is considerably easier to evoke. (This kinda works in a 24-hour time frame, I think.)
I was trying to run some numbers and the first time 10 and 7 equalled 16. I was bewildered enough to yell something out and caught some attention from others. I threw my hands up and yelled whatever I yelled. Then as I explained it and the happenstance actually sunk in, I began to laugh. Then I tried it again. I should mention by this point that HUNTING DOWN my numbers and paring them, BEFORE I ran them had added to the frustration category so that kind of "what else can I do?" laughter was imminent. I typed in four numbers: 400, 50, 10 and 7. The calculator gave me "938". I laughed out, "What the f***?" and threw my hands up again. Then it sank in more. I laughed harder and harder. Table-mate came over and looked at my screen. I choked out, "I tried to add up these four numbers," pointing to my notepad. He was laughing now, too. Then someone else in the room asked what was going on and he explained for me. "It should have been 467 but she got 938." The other person didn't get it. That actually made it funnier for me. The hilarity kept coming in waves. I was certainly doubled over and crying a bit and then when my abs started to hurt, I tried to stop but that just made me remember why I was laughing in the first place and got right back in it. At one point, table-mate said, "I don't even know what's so funny: I'm just laughing cuz she's laughing," which is a line I haven't heard in a while. HIS laughter made ME laugh more because it was that sporadic, feeding-off-of kind that went with the above statement. Oh, it was so grand. So grand.
There were more things, throughout the evening and afternoon that made me laugh big-ly (none as much as 938 but enough). Table-mate had taken it upon himself to make today Running Commentary Day. For some reason, I find running commentaries funny (when they're not annoying, of course). Come to think of it, the ...four people I can think of now who I find the most hilarious ALL have a penchant for this. Hmmm. That's cool. So yeah. It was these little comments and knowing looks during a meeting (harder to not laugh) and then all the other without-recipient comments when we were supposed to be doing indiv work which were just completely ridiculous or completely useless (which made them funny, especially in a string of 6 or 7). Ooh, I had a blast. And I got a dece amount of work done.
[EST]
When Sonny is bathing Fwankenstein, the kid stands up and says, "Why do I have to wear my bave-ing suit in the baff," or something to that effect. Sonny replies, "I don't know the rules about little kids and nakedness ..and just siddown," (again a paraphrase).
I dunno what it is about that moment...I just like it. The main thing I'd like is that it's a protection (or at least respect for) innocence but MORE than this, it's in a context (the whole film, I mean) where you might not expect such things to be sacred.
---
Today I laughed a lot and REALLY hard. I don't remember all of the things I was laughing at but I do know that the person I was sitting across a rather small table from, "working", was in a particularly silly mood and he's already (a) hilarious and (b) always on.
Yes, I've noticed this about myself in recent weeks: once you set the base-line to be comedic or given to laughing, each subsequent laugh is considerably easier to evoke. (This kinda works in a 24-hour time frame, I think.)
I was trying to run some numbers and the first time 10 and 7 equalled 16. I was bewildered enough to yell something out and caught some attention from others. I threw my hands up and yelled whatever I yelled. Then as I explained it and the happenstance actually sunk in, I began to laugh. Then I tried it again. I should mention by this point that HUNTING DOWN my numbers and paring them, BEFORE I ran them had added to the frustration category so that kind of "what else can I do?" laughter was imminent. I typed in four numbers: 400, 50, 10 and 7. The calculator gave me "938". I laughed out, "What the f***?" and threw my hands up again. Then it sank in more. I laughed harder and harder. Table-mate came over and looked at my screen. I choked out, "I tried to add up these four numbers," pointing to my notepad. He was laughing now, too. Then someone else in the room asked what was going on and he explained for me. "It should have been 467 but she got 938." The other person didn't get it. That actually made it funnier for me. The hilarity kept coming in waves. I was certainly doubled over and crying a bit and then when my abs started to hurt, I tried to stop but that just made me remember why I was laughing in the first place and got right back in it. At one point, table-mate said, "I don't even know what's so funny: I'm just laughing cuz she's laughing," which is a line I haven't heard in a while. HIS laughter made ME laugh more because it was that sporadic, feeding-off-of kind that went with the above statement. Oh, it was so grand. So grand.
There were more things, throughout the evening and afternoon that made me laugh big-ly (none as much as 938 but enough). Table-mate had taken it upon himself to make today Running Commentary Day. For some reason, I find running commentaries funny (when they're not annoying, of course). Come to think of it, the ...four people I can think of now who I find the most hilarious ALL have a penchant for this. Hmmm. That's cool. So yeah. It was these little comments and knowing looks during a meeting (harder to not laugh) and then all the other without-recipient comments when we were supposed to be doing indiv work which were just completely ridiculous or completely useless (which made them funny, especially in a string of 6 or 7). Ooh, I had a blast. And I got a dece amount of work done.
[EST]
Saturday, 1 November 2008
I'm starting to think that reading or watching "The Chronicles of Narnia" may actually be helpful to my spiritual growth,
and perhaps that I should seek them out.
What a weird thing to say.
[EST]
What a weird thing to say.
[EST]
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