Stuff and Possibly Things...

In an effort to blog about something for the first time in ages, I thought I would rip this off from a friend and just see where it takes me. So here I go.

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What Privileges Do You Have?
Based on an exercise about class and privilege developed by Will Barratt, Meagan Cahill, Angie Carlen, Minnette Huck, Drew Lurker, Stacy Ploskonka at Illinois State University.(If you participate in this blog game, they ask that you PLEASE acknowledge their copyright.)

Directions: Bold the statements that apply to you.
1. Father went to college.
2. Father finished college.
3. Mother went to college.
4. Mother finished college.
5. Have any relative who is an attorney, physician, or professor.
6. Were the same or higher social class than your high school teachers.
7. Had more than 50 books in your childhood home.
8. Had more than 500 books in your childhood home.
9. Were read children’s books by a parent.
10. Had lessons of any kind before you turned 18.
11. Had more than two kinds of lessons before you turned 18.
12. The people in the media who dress and talk like me are portrayed positively.
13. Had a credit card with your name on it before you turned 18.
14. Your parents (or a trust) paid for the majority of your college costs.
15. Your parents (or a trust) paid for all of your college costs.
16. Went to a private high school.
17. Went to summer camp (yes, I went to band camp, and choir camp.)
18. Had a private tutor before you turned 18.
19. Family vacations involved staying at hotels.
20. Your clothing was all bought new before you turned 18.
21. Your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them.
22. There was original art in your house when you were a child.
23. You and your family lived in a single-family house.
24. Your parents owned their own house or apartment before you left home.
25. You had your own room as a child.
26. You had a phone in your room before you turned 18.
27. Participated in a SAT/ACT prep course.
28. Had your own TV in your room in high school.
29. Owned a mutual fund or IRA in high school or college.
30. Flew anywhere on a commercial airline before you turned 16.
31. Went on a cruise with your family.
32. Went on more than one cruise with your family.
33. Your parents took you to museums and art galleries as you grew up.
34. You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family.

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It's kind of surprising to see the things that I did have and the things that I didn't. Part of the strange world of missionary kid childhoods.

I have a relatively small collection of Christian pop music compared to my collection of secular rock and pop. However, every once in a while I get the urge to just let loose and listen to it over and over again. Tonight is one of those nights.

The Christian music I'm most into is actually older hymns. But I was introduced to Christian pop in high school through some friends and also through the Christian bookstore where I worked. I found several CD's and bands that really appealed to me and so I kept listening. Generally speaking I tend to think of Christian pop as annoyingly pedantic and preachy. However, for some reason the songs I liked really, really touch me deeply. They may be simple and overly naive explanations of Christianity, but they reach deep inside of me.

Personally, I think this speaks to the basic quality of Christianity. Rather than simply an intellectual exercise (although it is that), and rather than just a motivation to do good in the world (although it is that as well), Christianity is most fundamentally about the relationship between Christ and his Church. In that way, it makes sense that each person and community experiences Christ differently. That is not to say that Christianity is inclusive in the bizarre way some people want it to be. Rather, Christianity is expansive and the way it reaches people can't be nailed down. For someone like myself, as a rather intellectual snob, when I listen to this pretty basic music and it makes me cry, that tells me something.

I like the fact that Christianity subverts "reality" at every turn. Where we think we know everything Christianity breaks down our arrogance. Where we believe we don't need to grow Christianity challenges us to not stay put. When we think we are lost in confusion Christianity reminds us of home and rest. I like the fact that I can listen to this music and it subverts everything I thought I understood about myself.

This is what happens when I can't sleep and get online at 1:30 in the morning.

As I stare down turning 30 later this year it occurs to me that I am aging and not aging at the same time. For instance when I look in the mirror I can see in my face that I am not as young as I used to be. However, at the same time I am currently in the best shape I have been probably since high school. I suppose the standard procedure is for people to both age and sort of let themselves go a bit more than they used to. However, since I had my "awakening" over a year ago I have been able to not only lose weight and keep it off, but also work very hard to keep myself healthy.

To be perfectly honest it is a little odd to see the somewhat opposing processes in action. I've never minded aging. I don't shy away from it like some people do. But to a certain extent the fact that I am in shape and healthy blunts the kind of aging that I used to expect would come sooner rather than later. And that makes me somewhat fall victim to the modern ages obsession with youth.

Now it is 1:37 and I will try and sleep again. No sense getting worked up about something this late at night. I want to make sure I get up in time for church.

As a Mac person, I think iTunes is the greatest music player ever created. It has everything I could ever want and it looks good to boot. Plus, I can hold all my music in neatly created folders that allow me the flexibility to listen to exactly what I want when I want. That is necessary because my musical tastes are so bizarrely eclectic that I would fain randomize my whole music list out of fear of what might come next.

So of course that made me think of what odd thing I could do next. Thus, my list of the first twenty songs that came up in a totally random collection of 1149 songs. This should be interesting (to me):

1. Knocking on Heaven's Door by Guns 'n' Roses (Use Your Illusion II)
2. Pachabel's Canon by Canadian Brass (Variations on Pachabel's Canon)
3. The Longest Time by Billy Joel (Greatest Hits Volume I & II)
4. Higher Love by Steve Winwood (Back in the High Life)
5. The End of All Things by Howard Shore (Return of the King Soundtrack)
6. Enter Sandman by Metallica (Metallica)
7. The Safety Dance by Men Without Hats (My Hats Collection)
8. Karma Chameleon by Culture Club (Colour by Numbers)
9. Without Love by Annie Herring (All That I Am)
10. La Isla Bonita by Madonna (True Blue)
11. Agnus Dei by Third Day (Offerings - A Worship Album)
12. Rough Flight by John Ottman (Superman Returns Soundtrack)
13. "Hard to Starboard" by James Horner (Titanic Soundtrack)
14. The TV by Space Ghost (Space Ghost's Musical Bar-B-Que)
15. Die Allmacht by Schubert (Mysteries Beyond)
16. Massacre by Randy Edelman & Trevor Jones (Last of the Mohicans Soundtrack)
17. A New Hope and End Credits by John Williams (Revenge of the Sith Soundtrack)
18. Barbie Girl by Aqua (My Oh My)
19. Instanbul by They Might Be Giants (Flood)
20. The Search is Over by Survivor (Survivor: Greatest Hits)

Does anyone have a cure for "seriousness?"

Ie. nothing at all.

It has been about a month since I last posted here. Strange, since I usually like to post more than that. But I have not been feeling very bloggity lately. The last time that happened I took a three to four month break so at least this time I'm back sooner.

Perhaps I have been Facebooking too much as of late. Perhaps work has been monopolizing my head and crowding out the otherwise non-stop mental calisthenics. Whatever the case may be, I have decided to become more proactive... starting with my next post.

Thank God for Fox News!

I really mean that too. I was raised to believe that adults somehow knew better. That somehow they were able to grow out of the mean pettiness that crops up so often in children and then with horrifying results in adults. But for the more part I was trained to believe that people could be better. They could know better; they could became the kind of objective talking heads I saw on CSPAN.

However, when you really sit down and talk with adults openly and freely it becames painfully obvious how childish we really are. This has become abundantly clear to me since Fox News opened up the broadcast news to how people really feel. Listen, I can claim that I want my news to be more objective and fair-minded. But I don't just turn off Fox News. I turn around and read people who bloviate from the opposite spectrum. And my friends who do watch Fox News like it because the presentors are entirely open and honest about how they feel. Whether or not this comes off sounding like two fifth-graders fighting on the school grounds makes little difference.

It is fascinating to see reporters who used to work for other networks start opening up Fox News to how they really feel about the issues. You wonder why Fox has all these talking heads rather than investigative reporting? People want to hear what they are feeling, not be challenged over and over again. And as much as they don't like to admit it the other news networks are following this lead. Lou Dobbs at CNN is very much in this mold now. The Olbermann's, the Carlson's, even reporters on NPR of all stations.

What is shows me so clearly is that people retain this amazing ability to be petty, vile and ruthless despite their best attempts to cover it up. Adults are no different than children in their opinions, their feuds and their passions. Somehow we have institutionalized this pettiness into a ritual we call adulthood that is passed off as different from childhood. But when you really open up with adults it all comes crashing out again.

I was reading a depressing article somewhere where scientists were asked what they got wrong since they began their research. Many of them said that they were shocked that they were categorically unable to scientifically prove that speculation, faith, and fantasy were illogical to the masses, even if they retained their "objective" stance. I found this fascinating since the article bemoaned the seemingly universal human predicament of faith and myth. What an interesting perspective into the psyche of these scientists and the hundreds and thousands who have come before bemoaning the same predicament.

I'm utterly fascinated by all of this. Any thoughts?

There seems to be a curious balancing point in my current quest to get fit. I reached my goal weight of 160 pounds many months ago and have successfully kept my weight there for the past six months or so. That by itself is wonderful news. I still exercise every day (except for Tuesdays when I am busy from 7 AM to 10:30 PM).

Yet, it seems like I have this extra stuff that I can't get rid of. It may just be me looking at myself and not seeing how much thinner I am than I used to be. But I can't help but think that I could easily lose another 10 pounds and look much better. I don't know if that is an unwise assessment, kind of like a perfectionist's dream which continually moves beyond reach. 160 pounds seems like a good equalibrium for me. I can eat well, not feel hungry, exercise hard (but not overdo it), and generally feel good about how I look.

I wonder if other people who lose weight also feel this way. I mean, I realize the hardest part of losing weight is not the actual losing, but keeping it off. I feel pretty good about that. But the hard part for me is wanting to do just a little more. Maybe if I sacrifice one more calorie here or there... I think that can be dangerous. But it certainly is hard to repress the urge.

INTJ - The Scientist

Be willing to back up your statements with facts - or at least some pretty sound reasoning. Don't expect them to respect you or your viewpoints just because you say so. INTJ respect must be earned. Be willing to concede when you are wrong. The average INTJ respects the truth over being "right". Withdraw your erroneous comment and admit your mistake and they will see you as a very reasonable person. Stick to erroneous comments and they will think you are an irrational idiot and treat everything you say as being questionable. Try not to be repetitive. It annoys them. Do not feed them a line of bull. Expect debate. INTJs like to tear ideas apart and prove their worthiness. They will even argue a point they don't actually support for the sake of argument. Do not mistake the strength of your conviction with the strength of your argument. INTJs do not need to believe in a position to argue it or argue it well. Therefore, it will take more than fervor to sway them. Do not be surprised at sarcasm. Remember that INTJs believe in workable solutions. They are extremely open-minded to possibilities, but they will quickly discard any idea that is unfeasible. INTJ open-mindedness means that they are willing to have a go at an idea by trying to pull it apart. This horrifies people who expect oohs and ahhs and reverence. The ultimate INTJ insult to an idea is to ignore it, because that means it's not even interesting enough to deconstruct. This also means that they will not just accept any viewpoint that is presented to them. The bottom line is "Does it work?" - end discussion. Do not expect INTJs to actually care about how you view them. They already know that they are arrogant bastards with a morbid sense of humor. Telling them the obvious accomplishes nothing. You tell 'em Skippy.

The Rational is more comfortable thinking in the abstract, doing so in an analytical, objective way. As an iNtuitive, the NT is not particularly given to sports.

This temperament is the quintessential professor, living in academia and in his own deep thoughts about something or other.

The Rational tends to be roundabout in explanations and may not be very aware of how others around him feel.

This temperament often ignores rules of fashion, having more important things to concern themselves with, preferring function over all else.

Studying self-improvement, learning about new things or languages....

Gets energized when they are alone with themselves. Enjoys solitary activities such as reading, writing, and daydreaming. Take in information through a "sixth sense" and focus on what could be. Decide by their head. Prefer logics, analysis, and facts.. They are well structured and organized

I received a happy letter in the mail today informing me that "General Ban Ki-Moon" and his compadres at the United Nations are threatening to devour America's national sovereignty. If I didn't pay $15 dollars before Christmas this organization, Freedom America, would not be able to continue fighting the good fight against the encroaching enemy.

Well, heavens to Betsy, I sure shootin' got out my checkbook and... Yeah, right!

I guess Christmas brings out the best, and the most bizarre, of all of us. Beware! Beware! The mighty UN is coming to get you!

I'm sure all the Tolkien fans out there have heard the news already. New Line and Peter Jackson have resolved their differences and now "The Hobbit" has been greenlite for production. Needless to say, I'm a little overjoyed at this news.

I am a HUGE Tolkien fan, a very large Peter Jackson fan, and a big-time fan of the LOTR movie trilogy. Despite the news that Jackson will not be directing (he has two other movies on his plate right now) the fact that he and Fran Walsh have creative control is good enough for me. I am so looking forward to this. TheOneRing.net put it well when they said that the Tolkien community was in "hysterics" upon hearing the news.

This will hopefully mean more music from Howard Shore, more genius work from Weta Workshop and Weta Digital, more creative goodness from Alan Lee and John Howe, more of everything that I loved about LOTR. I just can't wait. Now I can go back to expecting spy reports, casting rumors, etc. As much as I don't like to admit it, I am a total geek when it comes to this stuff.

Now I will have to reread The Hobbit again to make sure I have my details correct. It wouldn't hurt to reread the ancillary material from LOTR either. Oh joy, what fun we shall have.

To answer one of the great, burning questions in all of science you must go to the following web page.

Estimating the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow

"Pie Jesu Domine, dona eis requiem" Thwack

The BBC has news of the World's Oldest Man (unfortunately not submitted to the records books) dying in his sleep just a few days ago. As it turns out the Ukrainian farmer credits his exceptionally long life to a sparse, healthy diet, and NOT GETTING MARRIED. How funny is that?

It turns out he never got hitched because he was too short and he never had enough money. There's something to be said for a man who lives to be 116 years old who never married. However, the obvious trade-offs makes me think he might have been willing to shave 40 years off his life in exchange for just a taste of marriage. We will never know.

Good story though.