- I have seen Paradise, and it is in deep blue eyes of Rowan Elisabeth Purchase. Simply gorgeous!
- Hockey season is almost over...at least as far as my beloved - and beleaguered - Florida Panthers are concerned. Now comes my favorite game, "Pick out another - actually decent - team to root for in the Playoffs." I'm feeling the Washington Capitals.
- You can call it whatever you want (my wife says it's a lack of taste), but I really like the following bands and will buy their albums (not just the singles on I-tunes) whenever they release them: Jimmy Eat World, Coldplay, and Weezer (they tease me always with their 2-or-3-amazing-songs-surrounded-by-crummy-filler, but I cannot stop myself...the laughably terrible 'Raditude' notwithstanding).
- I just finished reading the play 'Death of a Salesman' by Arthur Miller and I must say, I found it heartbreaking. It was written - and most assuredly succeeds - as a critique of the American Dream. If you have not read it, please do. To the christian reader, it is a stark portrayal of a life lived apart from God. In fact, I don't believe 'God' is mentioned at all unless attached to a certain 4-letter word. In it, you see a wife who feels her only hope against the inevitable is to put on a brave face. You see two sons, each embodying a separate fatal flaw bestowed (even nurtured) by their fatally flawed father. You see a man so lost in his own failings, that he must constantly re-live the past because he cannot bear to witness his future. A man who gauges his life's worth solely in how it is reflected in the eyes of other men. As I was reading it, I wanted to grab Willy Loman (the main protagonist) and embrace him and hand him a Bible and say, 'Read this! Your life's worth is to be found here!' Alas, I could not...
- LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: There is a United States Pirate Party. FOR REAL!!! Who wants to join it with me? Maybe they give out free eye-patches and parrots.
Here is their logo:
How cute: The flag makes a 'P'. Now I really want to join.
Oh...wait a minute...nevermind. It's just a political party to promote the abolition of copyright laws and Digital Rights Management (DRM). Nerds, they ruin everything.
SPEAKING OF POLITICAL PARTIES:
- I met two 'Marxists' today in the Non-fiction section of a newly discovered used bookstore called 'The Book Rack' (on Commercial east of US-1 but before the bridge on the North side). I was looking through a book titled 'Soviet Polity in the Modern Era' (I mean, who wouldn't?) and this guy and his friend come up to me (me, mind you) and asked if I was a member of the CPUSA ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communist_Party_USA ).
I didn't answer right away (big mistake) and they started asking me my opinions on 'Lenin' this and 'China' that. I looked right at them and asked if they were - in fact - serious. They said they were, and I asked them if they were - in fact - aware that Communism was a global failure. They didn't take too kindly to that and pointed out that China owned the USA up to its ears. I pointed out that sure, China is pretty nifty, if you like to ignore little things like gross disregard for human rights, massive levels of starvation/poverty, blatant seizures of land to build the world's largest this and the world's biggest that, the utter and total abolition of a free press, and all that jazz (which - in point of fact - was also banned in China until the late 1980s). The two of them had clearly heard these arguments before and were prepared, "Well, at least they don't own slaves!" "Buddy," I replied, "Their entire population are slaves." This started a huge rant (which I promptly forgot) on American Capitalist Slave culture and how the US was based on a land/slave owner philosophy. My reply, "Funny how we still manage to function, now that slavery has been abolished for over 100 years."
They were not to be deterred. "Look at Cuba," They said, "Best health care system and scientific research stations in the Western Hemisphere!" My reply, "Yeah, you can tell they really appreciate it there...that's why tens of thousands have risked life and limb to cross 90 miles of ocean in the dead of night on inner-tubes and hallowed out tree trunks to join our Capitalist-slave-holding country." They didn't like that either. Then I dropped the bomb, "How old are you two anyways?" One said he was old enough to see through the lies of the establishment (translation: 17-19) and the other mumbled something about being old enough to burn his selective service card (translation: 18-19). I then asked them, "Have either of you ever been outside of the US?" One said not yet and the other said he had been outside the US. I said then that being on a cruise didn't really count. He muttered something I can't repeat here and I said that I had seen up-close and personal the effects of Soviet Communism and that it isn't pretty. "Where were you?" The 'Burner' asked. "Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan." I said. He squinted at me and frowned, "Whatever."
I then told them that Communism removes the 'humanity' out of governance. I told them that in a Communistic society, the 'essence of the individual' is sacrificed upon the alter of the state. The 'Cruiser' interrupted me right there and said (this is an actual quote, I will never forget it), "Yeah, America really cares about the individual. NOT! So what if America doesn't allow for slavery ON THESE SHORES! They just get their slaves in other countries like Mexico and Thailand and El Salvador and China." I cut him off right there (rude, I know) and said, "I thought you said China 'owned the US'?" He ignored me and said, "They send the slave-type jobs overseas and make a mint!" I conceded that point. Truth be told, I do think American corporations send out for a lot of cheap labor that is only sparsely regulated; jobs that could keep America from the double-digit unemployment it currently has.
Once they saw that they had - in fact - made an actual point, they decided to retire as champions and bade me farewell. Which was a pity, because I so wanted to ask them how they liked being hypocrites for wearing Nike sneakers (made in China) and Quicksilver T-shirts (made in Mexico). However, poetic justice was to be had after all. They went to the clerk to buy the books they had picked out, and proceeded to balk that the store did not take credit/debit cards (the total was a measly 17 dollars...apparently communists don't carry cash), they settled for one book and left...IN A MERCEDES BENZ. Go figure...
What I am reading now:
You Can Change - Tim Chester (devotional)
The Call - Os Guiness
No Country for Old Men - Cormac McCarthy
Marxism for Dummies and Un-Washed Benz-Driving Hipsters: - No, not really
Ok, so I was reading your incredible, awesome, remarkable blog. I was captivated by your breath taking word usage, and your ability to mix humor with wit. your writing style is unmistakable! however, i was somewhat perplexed by this amazing story of two young men who approached you in the book store. I have to be honest, I am more than a little disappointed about the ending. you see, I was captivated by your ability to mix words with them and reason with them on their level. (As I could not do) Yet, i was left wanting more, oh so much more. You see, I believe that you should not have let them simply walk away as if they had won. No rather, I was expecting (The People's Elbow, an Arm Bar, a Head Lock, anything) Eddie, you are a trained Killer, a Professionally crafted Weapon that served your country both here and abroad. yet you simply let them walk away. (I understand that you becoming a parent might begin to weaken your ability to accomplish such tasks) But when the next generation needs to be put in place as we did when we were their age, it is our responsibility to handle it like the generations before us, (Or as our Parents would have) and beat the ever living snot out of them. (Ok, maybe not, but I just was expecting more) Great Job on the blog it is really good.
ReplyDeleteomg, I love the book rack! Also, great post.
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