Category: Livejournal

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Tagged by Stan!

Friends only.

Here are the rules: Each person tagged blogs 7 random facts about themselves, as well as the rules of the game. You need to tag seven others and list their names on your blog. You have to leave those you plan on tagging a note in their comments so they know that they have been tagged and to read your blog.

  1. I’ve stopped drinking so much Coke. A 52 ounce tank of water sits on my desk. I throw it down my gullet every day.
  2. My grandfather was a terrorist who taught me how to kill the boogeyman.
  3. I’ve seen a ghost. I think. I try to tell the story every Hallowe’en.
  4. Two years ago, I found out I have less time than I thought.
  5. I’m finding celibacy both challenging and rewarding. More rewarding than challenging.
  6. I believe in magic.
  7. I love you, even though you piss me off sometimes. But the Buddha teaches me that you can be angry with the people you love and not love them any less.

Okay, seven folks. Completely at random:

[info]mementomori

 

[info]amanofhats

 

[info]ptevis

 

[info]xianvox

 

[info]latentblue

   

[info]ldy_mialee

 

[info]brahman_atman
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For Crapdaddy

Just recently, my buddy Sheldon made a post about Islam and women.

Here ya go, Shel.


Click Here for more great videos and pictures!

A religion of tolerance.
A religion of peace.

___

Okay, snarky time over.

When the anti-D&D bullshit came up, Mike Stackpole said something brilliant. (Not unusual for Mike Stackpole.) He said, “If someone bashes in your windshield with a baseball bat, you don’t ban baseball.”

Likewise. If someone uses religion to bash women, you don’t ban religion.

Unless that religion actively promotes the subjugation of a particular kind of person, of course. And then, even still, my Libertarian heart can’t stand the idea of banning an idea. Even stupid ideas. We need stupid ideas to contrast against the good ones.

This jerk uses his religion to justify his bigotry. Of course, if he followed a different religion (ALL HAIL ERIS), he wouldn’t be such a bigot. He’d just know the Goddess’s juicy goodness for himself.

Yeah, I said it.

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Houses of the Blooded: 20k

Twenty thousand words this weekend. I got a lot done. The domain system is nearly finished and I worked through most of the sorcery system. I also wrote up about 40 adventure hooks and the better part of a starting adventure along with a hard outline for the “Shanri & the Ven” chapter.

Friday’s playtest had the first signs of “the old John” running the game. I was less interested in playtesting and more interested in just running the bloody thing. I think it showed. I certainly felt it. I hope the players did as well.

Meanwhile, here’s Asia Argento. She’s been on my desktop all weekend, sending me evil glances and inspiring thoughts about ven culture and fashion. Something I’ll be diving into next week.

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Angst

A couple of caveats.

First, I know language is flexible. I know words begin life with one usage, then evolve as people use them differently. I know this.

Second, I know I’m being a silly, old fuddy-duddy when I object to the mis-usage of words. To invoke Jessie Foster: “I’m that old man on the front lawn, in my underwear, shaking a rake at the kids.” Yeah, I know that.

But dammit, the word “angst” does not mean “pissed off.” Nor does it mean “angry.” It is the root of our own word for “anxious” and its proper usage (according to Merriam Webster) is a bit more like this:

a feeling of anxiety, apprehension, or insecurity

I know White Wolf adopted the word and made it mean something completely different from its original usage, but dammit, that’s White Wolf! That’s what they do! Take words that mean one thing and hammer them into shape so they mean something completely different.

So, let’s stop replacing “anger” with “angst.” I know they came from the same root word, but don’t mean the same thing.

I blame George Elliot and Siggy Freud. And White Wolf.

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Fair and Balanced: Ron Paul

Like some Americans, I was impressed with Ron Paul at the Republican debate. Unlike some Americans, I’m disgusted there’s talk of excluding him from the next few debates.

Of course, it’s far too early for me to make any kind of say on voting. But if you haven’t heard of Ron Paul or know what he was talking about, check this out.

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Egg Cream

With The West Wing in the background, second season, episode 3, the President drinks an egg cream for the first time.

I had forgotten this wonderful drink. My personal recipe.

  1. Get a tall glass. Chill it in the fridge. Cold is the secret here. Cold, but not freezing.
  2. Cover the bottom of the glass with chocolate syrup. Your favorite. Be sure to cover the bottom of the glass. Lots of chocolate.
  3. Now, fill about 1/4th of the glass with whole milk. Not skim milk. Not 2% milk. Whole milk. Cold. Cold, cold cold.
  4. Finally, fill the rest of the glass with crisp, chilly seltzer water. Do it fast to give the drink a thick head.
  5. Again, cold.

Drink immediately. The longer it sits, the more flavor seeps away.

Experiment with the water/milk/chocolate mixture until you find the one you like.

Egg cream. Ah, how I love you.

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Greatest Song Ever

Cross my wooden leg and swear on my glass eye.

Turn it up.
No, louder than that.
No, louder than that.

Okay, that may be enough.

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Real Magic

Should be a Lord Strange entry. But it’s here.

Last time I was in Vegas, my mom asked me what show I wanted to go see. I told her, “Penn & Teller.”

She said, “The Blue Man Group is supposed to be really good.”

I said, “That’s just three clowns dipped in blue paint. It doesn’t mean anything.” Then, I told her again. “I want to see Penn & Teller. And I’d like you to come along.”

So, we ended up seeing Penn & Teller. Why? I’ll tell you why.

Because magic–“real magic”–is about communicating deep and powerful truths. Sublime truths. Communicating that which cannot be communicated by words alone.

That’s why Masonic ritual works. It’s why Catholic ritual works. It’s why ritual itself works.

And it’s why this trick–this simple trick–communicates one of my favorite deep and powerful truths better than anything I’ve ever seen.

Magic. Real magic.