Friday, December 17, 2004
Giving in to peer pressure feels so dirty...
Hi-ya. The semester is done, so the Carl PS2-blog-manga-DVD-work-a-thon has begun. To get back in the swing of blogging, I thought I would finally give in and do one of these popular "100 things about me" lists, only I may not make it to 100. I can't decide if the proliferation of these things on blogs are because other people have fun reading them, or if it is because we all like to talk about ourselves so much it seems like a good idea.
Before I start, have you heard about this freaky murder in Skidmore, Missouri? My friend Nate is from there. Let me tell you, that seems to be one macabre little town. There was a famous murder there once before, one that was turned into a book and movie. Now this; a murder/baby theft. The baby was taken from out of the mother (it wasn't born yet). Strange place. How did Nate turn out okay?
Well, anyway, here you go. I have no idea how many I will do before I get sick of it, so enjoy "X things about Carl."
1. I love corndogs.
2. I am trying desperately to teach myself Japanese.
3. People who like the songs "Arms Wide Open" or "My Heart Will Go On" enjoy a certain type of emotion when they hear them This is the way I feel when I hear "Wasted Years" by Iron Maiden or "Hyperballad" from Bjork.
4. I am married my first real girlfriend. We dated 7 years and have been married 6.
5. If I am allowed any amount of free time, I like to read or play video games.
6. My favorite movie of all time is 2001: A Space Odyssey. Some close seconds are Godfather, The Grapes of Wrath, Lawrence of Arabia, Patton, Royal Tennenbaums, and The Third Man.
7. I hate pornography, and can't understand the stranglehold it has on America.
8. My favorite manga series is Rurouni Kenshin. My favorite artists are CLAMP and Yu Watase.
9. I believe in God, and consider myself a Christian (if not a agnostic one, or fideist anyway)
10. I accept evolution as a biological fact and love researching and studying it.
11. I feel as if no explanations of ultimate origins are sufficient when it comes to "fact," so a certain amount of faith is involved whether one believes in God or big-bang biology. I currently believe in a mixture of the two.
12. I have a caffeine problem. There are days where my routine is developed around me getting a hold of a soda.
13. I have only been out of the US twice, both times to Mexico (to build homes for needy).
14. I am a closet fiction writer, and I have been working on a "novel" for my nephew to read. I am at a complete stand still, and may start all over again (for the third time)...
15. My favorite anime movie is Akira, a movie which sort of changed my life when I saw it. Ever since, my small fire for Japanese storytelling and culture has become a consuming inferno. After Akira, I would have to say anything by Studio Ghibli/Hayao Miyazaki is tied for second.
16. My favorite David Lynch movie is The Elephant Man, then Eraserhead. I hate what he did to Dune, a fantastic novel that will never be done justice.
17. I absolutely love heavy metal. Kyuss "Blues for the Red Sun" is my "Sgt. Peppers..." Anthrax is my equivalent to Michael Jackson.
18. Sometimes I like to sit in my bathtub, only filling it with the hottest water my tap will allow, and pretend I am at an onsen.
19. I like to cook. My favorite dishes I make are onigiri (easy), miso soup, soba with dipping sauce, enchiladas, manicotti, and tortellini with zucchini and red peppers.
20. My favorite song of all time is "Authority Song" by John Mellencamp
21. As much as I love metal, I love punk and soul just as much. Stevie Wonder, Sade, Al Green, Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, Scaterd Few, Minutemen, Stooges, Ramones, Dead Milkmen, and Nation of Ulysses all grace my most beloved CDs.
22. I am a big Mystery Science Theater 3000 fan..
23. I love to watch Godzilla movies when no one else is home. :)
24. Riding my mountain bike is almost a spiritual event for me... but a rare one anymore.
25. I love to watch NFL football, but I love to play tennis and racquet ball.
26. I tend to drink too much rum if it is available.
27. My favorite character in the Bible is Thomas.
28. I think that every American male should own a copy of the movie Rocky. Rocky or Snatch. Or both.
29. Just about any movie by Akira Kurosawa or Alfred Hitchcock is a masterpiece in my book. I think it will be along time (if ever) before we see men of this caliber making films.
30. I used to be a minister, and I go through periods where I miss it, when I am glad I got out, when I feel guilty, and when I feel angry. It sort of affected my life greatly.
31. I consider myself very loyal and committed, yet I have very few friends... something that constantly nags at me. The people I love the most seem to be involved the least in my daily life.
32. (this one is related to #31) I tend to have a big mouth. :) I talk a lot, am loud on occasion, and the distance from my brain to my tongue is far too short.
33. I'd rather stay home and play video games than go to some smoky bar and drink.
34. My favorite video game of all time is either Final Fantasy Tactics or Parappa the Rapper.
35. I took out a little extra loan money for Spring 2005 so that I may buy the new portable Sony Playstation PSP when it comes out in the USA. :)
36. I think that in terms of beauty, that no one will ever hold a candle to a women of Asian descent. Sorry white girls... blonde isn't where it is at!
37. I am constantly frustrated with my weight. I bounce between 210 and 230 (more like 215 lately). I wish I could stay motivated and get to 200.
38. I think that the war in Iraq is stupid, and I hate that there needs to be war.
39. I want to move back to Colorado, but I like Iowa's pace of life too.
40. I am bad with managing money... and I used to work in the cash management department of a bank!
41. I miss my grandmother (on my mom's side) very much.
42. I think that the church is continually embarrassing itself needlessly. One thing that it did in the 80's was get too reactionary to so-called "Satanism," and currently it is being too heartless with its handling of homosexuality.
43. People I look up to as heroes are very few, but here they are; MK Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Bill Cosby, Stevie Wonder, and Frederick Douglass.
44. My favorite book of all time is probably "The Demon Haunted World" by Carl Sagan, followed by "Frankenstein" (Shelley), "Maus" (Spiegelman), "Count of Monte Christo" (Dumas), "The Moon is Down" (Steinbeck), and "The Selfish Gene" (Dawkins).
45. I love a good horror movie, but there are so few of them. My favorite topics are zombies and ghosts. Night of the Living Dead is my favorite horror movie, but Psycho and Ju-On are up there too.
46. My favorite William Shakespeare play is "King Lear"
47. My favorite author is John Steinbeck
48. I used to play bass guitar, and some guitar. I couldn't today to save my life.
49. I once made a techno/ambient electronica album... I still have some copies... The name of the "band" was Carbon Copy Dream (from words in a Minutemen song). I was quite proud of it.
50. When I die, I want to be cremated. In a perfect world, I would request those ashes to be buried under a cherry tree.
51. If left to my own devices, I would eat a whole bag of chips with dip. I am my own worst health threat.
52. I used to run track and cross country. In CC, I only finished one race in my entire career... dead last.
53. I have never been hospitalized.
54. I like President Bill Clinton.
55. I have changed my mind on violence in video games (and media in general). I wish that there wasn't so much ugliness in our entertainment. I tend to lean more towards being sickened by GTA games, but I also don't think there should be a ban on that media either. I just don't understand why so many are drawn to it.
56. I cried when Aeris died on Final Fantasy 7, and I still feel bad when I think about it. I guess my mind is too fragile for video games... :) Maybe I need to grow up?
57. I love to play chess, but never have anyone to play with. Internet chess is no where as fun. I want to learn to play Go as well, but I'd never find a partner for that!
58. I have almost ZERO ties to any one nationality other than American. The closest tie I have is to Hungary, of which I am between 10 and 25%. Anyway, no heritage at all.
59. I think that the Native Americans and African Americans continue to get shafted. I think our racism and mistreatment of minorities is embarrassing, and that there are not any real factors at play to fix the problem.
60. In my life, I want to see a black president, a woman president, a gay president, and a Jewish president. A Catholic president in this day and age would be interesting too.
61. If I could have dinner with any five living celebrities, I would choose Prince, David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, George Clooney, and Stevie Wonder.
62. I was able to name my children myself, I would name my boy Darwin and my daughter Rei. But that is why I won't get to name my children. Alternate names include Sakura, Aeris, Rosa, Vivian, and Petra for girls; and Hotaru, Orson, Santino, Alfred, and Rocky for boys.
I am bored. 62 it is, not 100.
Horns up!
Before I start, have you heard about this freaky murder in Skidmore, Missouri? My friend Nate is from there. Let me tell you, that seems to be one macabre little town. There was a famous murder there once before, one that was turned into a book and movie. Now this; a murder/baby theft. The baby was taken from out of the mother (it wasn't born yet). Strange place. How did Nate turn out okay?
Well, anyway, here you go. I have no idea how many I will do before I get sick of it, so enjoy "X things about Carl."
1. I love corndogs.
2. I am trying desperately to teach myself Japanese.
3. People who like the songs "Arms Wide Open" or "My Heart Will Go On" enjoy a certain type of emotion when they hear them This is the way I feel when I hear "Wasted Years" by Iron Maiden or "Hyperballad" from Bjork.
4. I am married my first real girlfriend. We dated 7 years and have been married 6.
5. If I am allowed any amount of free time, I like to read or play video games.
6. My favorite movie of all time is 2001: A Space Odyssey. Some close seconds are Godfather, The Grapes of Wrath, Lawrence of Arabia, Patton, Royal Tennenbaums, and The Third Man.
7. I hate pornography, and can't understand the stranglehold it has on America.
8. My favorite manga series is Rurouni Kenshin. My favorite artists are CLAMP and Yu Watase.
9. I believe in God, and consider myself a Christian (if not a agnostic one, or fideist anyway)
10. I accept evolution as a biological fact and love researching and studying it.
11. I feel as if no explanations of ultimate origins are sufficient when it comes to "fact," so a certain amount of faith is involved whether one believes in God or big-bang biology. I currently believe in a mixture of the two.
12. I have a caffeine problem. There are days where my routine is developed around me getting a hold of a soda.
13. I have only been out of the US twice, both times to Mexico (to build homes for needy).
14. I am a closet fiction writer, and I have been working on a "novel" for my nephew to read. I am at a complete stand still, and may start all over again (for the third time)...
15. My favorite anime movie is Akira, a movie which sort of changed my life when I saw it. Ever since, my small fire for Japanese storytelling and culture has become a consuming inferno. After Akira, I would have to say anything by Studio Ghibli/Hayao Miyazaki is tied for second.
16. My favorite David Lynch movie is The Elephant Man, then Eraserhead. I hate what he did to Dune, a fantastic novel that will never be done justice.
17. I absolutely love heavy metal. Kyuss "Blues for the Red Sun" is my "Sgt. Peppers..." Anthrax is my equivalent to Michael Jackson.
18. Sometimes I like to sit in my bathtub, only filling it with the hottest water my tap will allow, and pretend I am at an onsen.
19. I like to cook. My favorite dishes I make are onigiri (easy), miso soup, soba with dipping sauce, enchiladas, manicotti, and tortellini with zucchini and red peppers.
20. My favorite song of all time is "Authority Song" by John Mellencamp
21. As much as I love metal, I love punk and soul just as much. Stevie Wonder, Sade, Al Green, Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, Scaterd Few, Minutemen, Stooges, Ramones, Dead Milkmen, and Nation of Ulysses all grace my most beloved CDs.
22. I am a big Mystery Science Theater 3000 fan..
23. I love to watch Godzilla movies when no one else is home. :)
24. Riding my mountain bike is almost a spiritual event for me... but a rare one anymore.
25. I love to watch NFL football, but I love to play tennis and racquet ball.
26. I tend to drink too much rum if it is available.
27. My favorite character in the Bible is Thomas.
28. I think that every American male should own a copy of the movie Rocky. Rocky or Snatch. Or both.
29. Just about any movie by Akira Kurosawa or Alfred Hitchcock is a masterpiece in my book. I think it will be along time (if ever) before we see men of this caliber making films.
30. I used to be a minister, and I go through periods where I miss it, when I am glad I got out, when I feel guilty, and when I feel angry. It sort of affected my life greatly.
31. I consider myself very loyal and committed, yet I have very few friends... something that constantly nags at me. The people I love the most seem to be involved the least in my daily life.
32. (this one is related to #31) I tend to have a big mouth. :) I talk a lot, am loud on occasion, and the distance from my brain to my tongue is far too short.
33. I'd rather stay home and play video games than go to some smoky bar and drink.
34. My favorite video game of all time is either Final Fantasy Tactics or Parappa the Rapper.
35. I took out a little extra loan money for Spring 2005 so that I may buy the new portable Sony Playstation PSP when it comes out in the USA. :)
36. I think that in terms of beauty, that no one will ever hold a candle to a women of Asian descent. Sorry white girls... blonde isn't where it is at!
37. I am constantly frustrated with my weight. I bounce between 210 and 230 (more like 215 lately). I wish I could stay motivated and get to 200.
38. I think that the war in Iraq is stupid, and I hate that there needs to be war.
39. I want to move back to Colorado, but I like Iowa's pace of life too.
40. I am bad with managing money... and I used to work in the cash management department of a bank!
41. I miss my grandmother (on my mom's side) very much.
42. I think that the church is continually embarrassing itself needlessly. One thing that it did in the 80's was get too reactionary to so-called "Satanism," and currently it is being too heartless with its handling of homosexuality.
43. People I look up to as heroes are very few, but here they are; MK Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Bill Cosby, Stevie Wonder, and Frederick Douglass.
44. My favorite book of all time is probably "The Demon Haunted World" by Carl Sagan, followed by "Frankenstein" (Shelley), "Maus" (Spiegelman), "Count of Monte Christo" (Dumas), "The Moon is Down" (Steinbeck), and "The Selfish Gene" (Dawkins).
45. I love a good horror movie, but there are so few of them. My favorite topics are zombies and ghosts. Night of the Living Dead is my favorite horror movie, but Psycho and Ju-On are up there too.
46. My favorite William Shakespeare play is "King Lear"
47. My favorite author is John Steinbeck
48. I used to play bass guitar, and some guitar. I couldn't today to save my life.
49. I once made a techno/ambient electronica album... I still have some copies... The name of the "band" was Carbon Copy Dream (from words in a Minutemen song). I was quite proud of it.
50. When I die, I want to be cremated. In a perfect world, I would request those ashes to be buried under a cherry tree.
51. If left to my own devices, I would eat a whole bag of chips with dip. I am my own worst health threat.
52. I used to run track and cross country. In CC, I only finished one race in my entire career... dead last.
53. I have never been hospitalized.
54. I like President Bill Clinton.
55. I have changed my mind on violence in video games (and media in general). I wish that there wasn't so much ugliness in our entertainment. I tend to lean more towards being sickened by GTA games, but I also don't think there should be a ban on that media either. I just don't understand why so many are drawn to it.
56. I cried when Aeris died on Final Fantasy 7, and I still feel bad when I think about it. I guess my mind is too fragile for video games... :) Maybe I need to grow up?
57. I love to play chess, but never have anyone to play with. Internet chess is no where as fun. I want to learn to play Go as well, but I'd never find a partner for that!
58. I have almost ZERO ties to any one nationality other than American. The closest tie I have is to Hungary, of which I am between 10 and 25%. Anyway, no heritage at all.
59. I think that the Native Americans and African Americans continue to get shafted. I think our racism and mistreatment of minorities is embarrassing, and that there are not any real factors at play to fix the problem.
60. In my life, I want to see a black president, a woman president, a gay president, and a Jewish president. A Catholic president in this day and age would be interesting too.
61. If I could have dinner with any five living celebrities, I would choose Prince, David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, George Clooney, and Stevie Wonder.
62. I was able to name my children myself, I would name my boy Darwin and my daughter Rei. But that is why I won't get to name my children. Alternate names include Sakura, Aeris, Rosa, Vivian, and Petra for girls; and Hotaru, Orson, Santino, Alfred, and Rocky for boys.
I am bored. 62 it is, not 100.
Horns up!
Comments:
I'll tell you why I turned out so "normal", it's cuz I only lived there for 5 freakin years of my life. And I still avoid it for the most part. I would be pretty messed up if I had lived there any longer.
From a posting I did on another site . . .
"This is the second time Skidmore has made national headlines. The first time was back in 1981, for the vigilante killing of Ken McElroy, the town bully. (This is outlined in the excellent book, In Broad Daylight.) During the time my parents lived there, there was a Jr. High kid that drowned in the river, 3 suicides, and one teenager who was abducted and never found. And now this. And all of this in a town of 400 people."
Kinda funny that the killer/abducter was from Kansas.
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From a posting I did on another site . . .
"This is the second time Skidmore has made national headlines. The first time was back in 1981, for the vigilante killing of Ken McElroy, the town bully. (This is outlined in the excellent book, In Broad Daylight.) During the time my parents lived there, there was a Jr. High kid that drowned in the river, 3 suicides, and one teenager who was abducted and never found. And now this. And all of this in a town of 400 people."
Kinda funny that the killer/abducter was from Kansas.