Elves, Dragons, and Electric Guitars

I have to say that, given a choice, I don't listen to any American music any more. Not that I have anything against America. I love it here. But I simply can't stand Country, Pop reminds me of all the most idiotic parts of high school, and I outgrew my rap phase years ago. With a few exceptions, the best music I've heard recently is from European groups like Rhapsody of Fire or Blind Guardian or Nightwish. I crave something more than the basic country line of "My dog died, My Wife left me, and My truck broke down", or the incessant teen pop that is everywhere, or rappers telling me how great life is when you deal drugs and shoot people. I just don't need any of that stuff.

What I want is something to take me out of my own life, and into something better, more exciting, more epic. Which is why groups like Rhapsody of Fire appeal to me. For those of you unfamiliar with Rhapsody of Fire (pretty much all of you, I'd guess), take one part Metallica, back when they were good, one part orchestra, and season with a liberal dose of Lord of the Rings. Stir well, and in short order you have AWESOMENESS!

Seriously, though. Most music coming from America these days is either depressing, enraged, or inane. A Rhapsody of Fire album is more than just a collection of singles made for radio, it is a story, bridging multiple albums, where you can set them up in order on your iPod and just run through the albums in order, and hear the story weaving around you, sweeping you up along with it. You just don't get that from boy bands and slutty pop princesses. You don't find that in the drek that you find in Nashville. You'll never witness that on a gangsta rap album.

When I'm needing music, I can think of little better than to hear tales of elves and dragons, to the melody of an electric guitar.

FML

Sometimes I take a step back, and wonder if I am sane. Then the voices tell me that asking the question proves I'm not insane.

I guess it comes from playing roleplaying games, and how I create my characters. I never simply run through the book and put together a character with some interesting stats. That would work for a simple hack and slash game, but I'm looking for more in a RPG. I dive down, getting inside the character's head, and getting a feel for the complexities of their way of thinking.

But the simple truth is that you can't get into someone's head without them getting into yours.

At times, I'm simply going along with my day, and I find that, without warning, I've slipped into thinking like one of my characters, seeing the world through their eyes, approaching problems as they would, even though there is no such thing as magic in the world, and I definitely don't have a sword at my side. And then I catch myself, and shake away the thoughts, and return to being me.

It is times like that which make me think, why not? Why couldn't I be more than the shy guy in the corner, too oblivious and too scared to make any kind of move on someone he likes without a computer screen in between? Why couldn't I let go the man I was, and become the dashing rogue, the cunning warrior, the witty poet? Why not just burst into song, and sing for a time that existed only in a fantasy game?

And yet, I am trapped in this flabby form, prisoner of my own insecurities. I long to set aside that form, and become the legend I created, a man who has no fear, a man who can act in the face of adversity, and flirt with the lady even as he trades blows and banter with the villain.

But I cannot do that. I cling to sanity, and refuse to offer myself to the blessed oblivion of the imagined. I am a prisoner in a high tower, the windows all unbarred. I could escape if I just slipped out the window, but I know I cannot, because the fall would destroy me. And so I sit at the window, and lust for those things that I know I will never see, the things I could never be, the things that I may never know. I sit there, and it brings me both pleasure and pain, for though looking through the window brings an ache to my heart, if it was shut, I would go mad, trapped with not even a glimmer of hope to sustain me.

The world is a wonderful place, if you're the attractive, the popular, the wealthy, the fearless. But I am just an overweight man, shy, broke, and all too aware of my own failings to be fearless. There are things I would like from this world, but they are closed to me. Soon I'll be twenty-seven, working at a desk, and never even been on a date, to say nothing of anything else. Hell, the only time a girl pays any attention to me is when I go to a strip club. This world is not meant for people like me.

Or maybe I am not meant for this world? Maybe these characters I create are all simply echoes of past lives, rattling down the hallways of time, and my malcontent festers for the fact that I compare my life to theirs, and see myself wanting.

I wonder if simply ending it all will release me from this cycle of hell, and return me to that cavalcade of voices so that I might begin again, in a form more suited, and be who I was meant to be.

To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep;
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to, 'tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep;
To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub;
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause: there's the respect
That makes calamity of so long life;
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely,
The pangs of despised love, the law's delay,
The insolence of office and the spurns
That patient merit of the unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? who would fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscover'd country from whose bourn
No traveller returns, puzzles the will
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of?
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all;
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprises of great pith and moment
With this regard their currents turn awry,
And lose the name of action.

Hamlet, Act III, Scene 1

And yet, I find myself restrained, fearing that undiscovered country. And I cling desperately to my window, not daring to cast myself out it, but unable to turn away from it. And the pain continues. And I see the entirety of my existence boiling down to a single phrase: FML.

A Mosque at Ground Zero?

I've tried to avoid commenting on the proposed mosque near the former World Trade Center site. I thought that, surely, people would get their heads out of their collective asses, and see the light.

They haven't.

For all conservative nutjobs talk about the greatness of America, they have an annoying tendency to ignore some truths about America when it doesn't suit their dogmatic point of view. Our nation was founded with the idea of religious freedom in mind. An idea that people, regardless of their creed, should be able to practice their religion freely, and not fear the government's intrusion into that practice, so long as they themselves did not break any laws.

The terrorists that attacked us almost nine years ago to the day did so for many reasons. But one of the most common threads you hear the conservatives talk about is that they attacked us because they hate our freedoms. And there is some truth to that. They want to terrorize us, and use fear and hatred to get us to change our ways.

But the freedom to practice your religion, whatever it is, without prejudice is one of those freedoms.

And it isn't like the Islamic group in question doesn't already have a presence in Manhattan. In fact, they are not making a new congregation. THERE IS ALREADY A MOSQUE NOT TWO BLOCKS FROM THE PROPOSED SITE!

Take a walk around Ground Zero. You know what you'll find? Strip clubs, adult video stores, fast food joints, and the like. Real 'hallowed ground' stuff, right?

Some of the families of victims of 9/11 say that moving an existing mosque two blocks closer to Ground Zero is offensive, that it is some banner of victory to the terrorists who attacked us.

I say they are wrong. It is the people who oppose the mosque that are the offensive ones. It is they that are the banner of victory for the terrorists. For if we change who we are in the face of fear and hatred of what happened, haven't the terrorists truly won? We can win every battle overseas, and not have a single attack on our soil, but if we give up who we are, then we have lost. If we do that, then we vindicate the monsters who attacked us. If we do that, we piss on the memories of the people who died that day. If we do that, we are the testament to our failures as a people.

Freedoms are tricky things. If you say you love a freedom, any freedom, then you have to love that freedom even in times you might disagree with it. Would you oppose a Christian church going up there? Or a Jewish synagogue? Or a Hindu temple? Or a Wiccan shrine? If you love the freedoms this country was founded on, and you say No to even a single one of those questions, then you should not oppose the Islamic mosque going there.

It is a simple thing, to sell out someone else's freedoms when you don't like them. But karma is a bitch, and eventually it will come around to be your turn again. How you act now may determine how others act towards you in the future.

Tell the world that we truly are the land of the free, where a man is judged not by his race, his gender, or his creed, but by the acts he himself does. Because if we look at the terrorists, who have said for years that we are the enemies of all Islam, and we paint all Muslims with the same brush, then we are only proving the terrorists right, vindicating their claims that a jihad is warranted against us. But if we put aside our fear for resolve, or hate for understanding, and allow the mosque to be built, then we show the world that the terrorists were WRONG! We will show them that they may destroy our buildings, and they may take our lives, but they will never change who we truly are, that they will never take our freedoms.

Will you stand for what is right, despite your own bias, your own misgivings, your own fear, your own hate? Will you stand for the freedoms you love? Or will you give in to the terrorists, and allow them to steal our very soul?

Who will stand with me?

Scam Alert

This arrived in my inbox today. Seriously, who falls for this crap?

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Reply to:	Katlijn Malfliet
To:	b
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The Sorcerer's Apprentice (Spoilers)

This post may contain spoilers.

As a treat for my mom's birthday (Saturday) the family went to see Disney's new Sorcerer's Apprentice movie. I'll just start off by saying that while I enjoyed it, it certainly isn't for everyone.

First off, manage your expectations. It is a Disney movie based off a Disney short film featuring Mickey Mouse. Do not go in expecting a bunch of gore, or sex, or even foul language. There isn't any. This movie is designed to be kid friendly.

Second, if you aren't a kid, or a geek, you probably won't like this movie. There are a lot of subtle moments that would only appeal to children or geeks who know what the references were. If you don't appreciate a good "These aren't the droids you're looking for," joke, then go watch another episode of American Idol, and forget about this movie.

Third, and most important, DO NOT TAKE THIS MOVIE SERIOUSLY! It is supposed to be a bit silly at times. No, it doesn't do stupid humor like Will Farrel movies, and no, it isn't sarcastic humor like an episode of the Daily Show. It is just good fun silliness, with a bunch of geeky references.

All right, for those of you who are still here, I'll just come out and say that this movie is 100% good, clean fun. I loved it! If you remember the short from Fantasia, with the enchanted mops, you're going to absolutely love when they recreate that scene. THEY EVEN HAVE THE MUSIC WITH IT! I literally died for a moment there.

Also, the explanation for how magic worked was awesome, as it lent the movie a bit of much needed plausibility. The idea that if you were able to use 100% of your brain you'd have strange powers is not new. I've seen similar ideas in other sci-fi movies and shows, most recently in Eureka, where a man's ability to use his entire brain gave him telekinetic and telepathic powers. Seeing the quasi-science method for explaining how magic works was very satisfying to my inner geek.

The magic battles are fun, especially when the heroes beat their foes through cleverness and strategy rather than through overwhelming power. At the end, when the Apprentice is fighting Morgana, he lays a trap for her, drawing her into the center of a jury-rigged Tesla coil, which allows him to destroy her.

Overall, I found it to be a fun movie that you could take the whole family to see, so long as you don't go in expecting Lord of the Rings. If you enjoyed the old Godzilla movies, you'll probably enjoy the Sorcerer's Apprentice.

What is Anime?

I will freely admit to being a geek. Anyone who knows me, knows I'm geeky beyond all redemption. When I tell people that I also like Anime, people usually respond in one of two ways: either they go into the 'how can a grown man watch cartoons' spiel, or they think I'm one of those hardcore otaku.

To be honest, I wouldn't call myself an otaku, if only for the fact that money (or the lack thereof) and laziness (or the overabundance thereof) have prevented me from experiencing all the anime series and movies out there that I would love to see. Moreover, I am not one of these 'purists' who insist on seeing anime in the original Japanese. Subtitles are a pain, and distract from the action. I would much rather be able to understand what's going on, and enjoy the images, than be constantly switching back and forth between words and image. I am nowhere near hardcore enough for Otaku status.

But I do take offense at the people who see anime as simply 'cartoons'. First off, the difference between anime and cartoons is simple. Cartoons are for kids. Anime is for adults, no two ways about it.

Moreover, to lump all anime together into a single category is as ignorant as lumping all movies and TV shows into a single category. Anime is a medium, not a genre. You wouldn't say that Gone With the Wind, Friday the 13th, and The Wild World of Sports belong in the same genre, would you? It shows the same ignorance to say that Ghost in the Shell, Spirited Away, and Blood+ all belong in the same genre.

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This, folks, is what is called a scam. Sure, you get a free iPad, but only after you sign up for a couple hundred dollars in 'discount' offers.

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