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Welcome to mistersite.net, home of... well, something unique, I hope. Be sure to check out all those lovely links to the left to see who I am, what I do, and what I like. Read my blog too... it's right under this paragraph. And leave a comment, so I know you've visited.
Well, I'm back in Pasadena, and everything's coming up roses, which I just realized is kind of a pun since they're having this big "Rose Bowl" thing here in two days. Alisa and I flew back in yesterday and had the privelege of waiting an hour and a half at the airport because our poor ride was stuck in some "Orange Alert" traffic (what with the random searches and whatnot going into the airport). Fortunately, LA is warmer than Ohio or Michigan, so it wasn't all bad.
Tomorrow is my birthday. I'm 24 then. This would be a bigger deal to me, but seriously, it's not like it's a qualitatively different day than any other day. It just happens to be the anniversary of the day I was born. Oh, and there's also this big thing where everyone in the world parties on my birthday (it being New Year's Eve and all) but that's not as big a deal to me either as it once was. I mean, if you think about it, the whole New Year's thing is kind of arbitrary, isn't it? Instead of having the year begin and end on the Solstice or something (which would have made sense on an astronomical level at least) they just choose a day, seven days after Christmas, and say that's when the new year's going to start. Doesn't make much sense, but I guess the new year has to start sometime.
I'm still pondering death, and I guess I've come to some kind of conclusion about the immortality of the soul, at least to a degree. From a purely subjective viewpoint (which is all any of us can hope to attain, methinks), my lifetime is the lifetime of the universe, at least insofar as it means anything. After I no longer exist, if I do indeed pass out of existence (which I don't think we do thanks to God), the universe, at least to me, has ended. As I've been thinking, I've been reassured that it's all going to be okay, that I won't pass out of existence - or if I did, that it's not like I would know about it or anything. Again, I choose to believe in a higher power, in the mercy of an infinite and all-loving God, which colors my observations somewhat, but faith can never be based solely on reason.
Well, that's about all the philosophical rambling I have in me tonight, particularly as I'm still recovering from the time change and have a beer in me as well. If I don't write in this tomorrow, have a happy New Year. I'll be back sometime at night on New Year's Day writing all about the Rose Bowl, the Rose Bowl Parade, and all those pesky New Year's resolutions I'm going to try to make.....
Oh, and if you've got an almanac in your car, look out for those black helicopters.
posted by jimmy at 23:01 -
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Merry Christmas.
Christmas Eve with my dad's extended family wasn't as unpleasant as I'd feared. I usually come away with a headache of some variety from the hyper children and aching lungs from the many cigarettes they all smoke, but this year it wasn't nearly as bad. I had good conversations with the adults, the kids didn't bother me so much, and there was much laughter and frivolity of sorts to go around. I think the beard helped them to take me more seriously as an adult. That, and I got new socks. One can always use new socks.
Christmas morning was also very nice... we sat around, we opened presents, it snowed. A nice beautiful white Christmas. And I get to leave all the snow behind in less than a week and go back to where it doesn't get much below 50 and I can see mountains. I truly get the best of both worlds. Not that I'm all about getting things, but I got some pretty nice things today. My mom made me a fleece blanket, and I got two big baseball books, and some DVD's, and the tickets to the Rose Bowl I already knew I was getting.
I also saw Return Of The King again. I think taking a week to see it again, and seeing it in the middle of the day instead of at midnight, dramatically improved the film in my eyes. I found it a lot easier to get into it, and I noticed a lot of things I'd missed the first time. I truly think Peter Jackson & Co. have made one for the ages here, one of the classic films of the new century. From what I hear, the next movie that'll fit that description will be Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, which I hear is breathtakingly beautiful and yet unflinchingly gruesome and honest at the same time. I'm really looking forward to that one.
I've also been a little preoccupied with my own death over the past few days, and what it would be like to die, and what it would feel like after I died. I believe in heaven and an afterlife, but I'm so limited by who I am that I'm not quite sure what that would be like, if that would be anything like what this life is in terms of consciousness and such things. Also, as an honest person, I have to admit that there's the possibility that there is no God and no afterlife, that we're making all this up because we want to believe - the fact that I choose to believe despite the lack of any verifiable physical evidence of God is what makes it faith, after all - and I wonder what it would feel like not to exist, if it would feel like anything not to exist, how it is possible for me not to exist (While others can, I can't remember a time when I didn't exist, because if I remembered such a time I would have had to exist then.) What this goes to say is that I'm asking the Big Questions again, and that makes me excited and scared at the same time, because to ask the question is to admit that you don't know the whole answer.
So that's my philosophical moment. I'm done now. Have a merry Christmas.
Give a man fire, and he will be warm for a day. Light a man on fire, and he will be warm for the rest of his life.
posted by jimmy at 10:54 -
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Merry Festivus.
That's right, the Official James Gilmore Christmas Season(tm) has begun. Because I've become increasingly frustrated with the Christmas (excuse me, Holiday) season starting in mid-November, I intentionally resist getting into anything even resembling the Christmas Spirit (tm) until December 23. This lasts until Buehlermas (this year being observed on the 27th) at which point I put the Christmas Spirit back into his box and shelve him for another 360 (or in the case of 2004, 361) days. Merry Festivus. (I wish I had the Festivus Pole, the Airing of Grievances, and the Feats of Strength, but alas, it is not so.)
It's still cold here, but I can deal, because I go back to warmer climes in less than a week. The whole "terror alert" thing has me a little on edge, but the way I see it, if God's going to take me, God can just as easily do it while I'm sitting here at home or driving or sleeping as when I'm riding in an airplane. I don't have much of a choice in the matter anyhow.
Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, which means we all pack in the cars to go down to Columbus for Children's Present Madness (tm). The event itself isn't so bad, unless I have a headache going into it, but if it snows like it did last year (it took us seven hours to get back, where it usually takes us three) it's going to be another one of my patented "rage evenings." Fortunately, the forecast looks like it isn't going to be so bad, but I'm knocking on every wood surface I can find, as well as any formica surface that's painted like wood (just to be on the safe side).
I installed a ceiling fan yesterday. I did all the wiring and installation myself. Everything works perfectly. I'm so proud of myself. Also, it's good to know that if my careers in ministry, theatre, and academia don't pan out, I've got a fallback as a ceiling fan installer.
I also rode six miles on the exercise bike this evening. I feel so healthy. Tomorrow I'm going to feel more sore than healthy, but I'll relish the healthy while I can.
If I don't update this tomorrow - and I likely won't, since I'll be in another state and all - merry Christmas to you all. I should be updating on Christmas Day, but one never knows. Why am I telling you this?
I don't have anything to put down here today.
posted by jimmy at 20:37 -
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I'm quite aware that the world has been awaiting an update since I returned to the Great White Midwest, but I've been so busy freezing my cojones off that I haven't had the time. Or something like that.
Yeah, it's cold, but I get another week and a half of winter while the rest of the suckers up here have to live through another three months of it (if they're lucky) so I'm counting my blessings and the days until I get to return to locales of more rational climate. It's okay for Christmas, though, since that's a wintry holiday and all.
Ahh, Christmas. Season of cheer, cold, and commercialism run amok (the alliteration works on paper at least.) I was going to ditch the whole materialism thing for Christmas this year and just ask people to donate to worthy causes in my name, but then I remembered the joy of buying things for people and figured that I wouldn't deny others the joy of buying me things, particularly shiny things. It's all part of my "spreadin' da luv" campaign. In recognition of my conscience, however, I did add a list of worthy causes to my Christmas list, and respectfully asked for people not to get me things at Wal-Mart and further contribute to the oppression of their workers. I'll have to work more on that "conscience" thing next year.
I just spent a week in Ohio with the ladyfriend, and that was a joyous occasion. We hung out, I spent quality time at the B&N while she worked, it was all good. Almost made up for the fact that we've barely seen each other over the past three months... almost. It would be nice if she could transfer out to Fullerton... maybe I'll add that to my Christmas list.
I also saw "Return of the King" early Wednesday morning, but I made the mistake of reading the books the evening before and I think that spoiled it for me to a certain extent. I was waiting for specific lines and watching for moments I thought would be cool, and stressing that Jackson would change things too much from the books, and so I don't think I enjoyed it quite as much as I could have. Alisa was crying throughout the whole thing, and there were a few "holy crap" moments from me as well, so it was good enough. I think I'm going to take a week or so to sit on this and mull it over and go see it again Christmas day, so I get a fresher pair of eyes. Still, though, from my critical and all-too-detached perspective, I think Peter Jackson & Co. did an incredible job all things considered, and I'm going to take it as a personal insult if Sean Astin isn't at least nominated for a golden statue of a bald guy.
And we caught Saddam. As much as I cordially dislike GWB, I have to admit that it's cool that we caught the guy. I really hope he gets a fair trial, though... regardless of the fact that he's a murderous brute, he's still a human being, and thus deserves a fair hearing for his crimes. (I will add as an aside that those who are imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay also deserve a fair and speedy trial, but that's just another item for my Christmas list.) Still, though, hopefully this'll cut down on the whole "insurgents attacking troops" thing, but I'm not holding out much hope for that... I don't think Saddam was coordinating much anything from a hole in the ground. Wow, I must be full of Christmas cheer... this isn't a scathing invective against the Bush administration. The gloves come off on December 26, though, as the campaign season begins in full tilt and I start stumping on here for a Dean/Clark (or, better yet, Dean/Bill Clinton*) ticket.
That's about all from the snowy tundras of Michigan for right now. Perhaps there will be more as we near the holiday. Perhaps not. One never knows. But I do turn 24 in eleven days.
And it's still fricking cold.
*For those who think Bill Clinton can't hold the VP office because the Constitution prevents him from being President again, read the 22nd Amendment closely... he can't be elected President twice. If he should be elected Vice-President and the President abdicate office for whatever reason, the Constitution cannot prevent his acceding to the Presidency. At least, that's how I interpret it.....
posted by jimmy at 07:14 -
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Finally, James Brown is getting the recognition he deserves. This has been a long time in coming, methinks.
It's been a long time, faithful readers. Too long, some would say. Alas, the absolute lack of anything interesting happening in my life, save the obvious end-of-quarter shenanigans, would incline me not to update my blog just to not tell you anything. Really, nothing's happening, except in the future... I have two exams tomorrow, a flight back to Detroit on Thursday, a Bela concert to go to with my brother on Friday, and then Alisa comes up to pick me up and bring me back to Ohio on Saturday.
These past two weeks have really been quite uneventful. Papers, class, sleep, the occasional social gathering... not much to talk about, really. Alisa got sick, but that was in Ohio, so aside from me being concerned about her well-being, that didn't really touch my life all that much. I applied for a job yesterday. That's another moderately interesting thing. Seriously, people, I'm straining to find any interesting tidbits, but alas, I can't.
Ah well. Thus endeth another blog session. I may update tomorrow... I may update later, when I get back to Brighton, about how freaking cold it is there, because it will be. Especially when I go out here and it's 65 degrees and I feel like I'm going to freeze to death. That'll be a shock to my system.
There are 10 types of people in the world: Those who understand binary, and those who don't.
posted by jimmy at 11:23 -
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