Random Musings

I've lately been ruminating on what relationships really , outside of personal feelings, mean. If I were to take away what I (hypothetically speaking of course, it could be anyone at all, and not just me; I just don't like using the passive voice while writing) perceive as the truth, or core of a relationship; what's left. And moreover, does it even really matter? Could it just be random metaphysical musings? Or is there any real substance on a relationship with someone other than the perspective that one can actually observe (or attempt to observe) from?

Furthermore, does it even really matter? Aren't we all so tainted by our own observational frame-work that we can't see out beyond it. Sort of like losing the forest for the trees, but much more meta than the usual scope of that statement.

The reasoning behind this specific tangent of thought really has to do the fact that I tend to (at least, I think that I do), tend to just pour my shit into people. At least the leftovers, a lot of it I try to put into writing and music. It just seems to me as self-centered and solipsistic as can be, especially because I try to make my life's main principle is to help those that I love and am lucky enough to be loved by.

But I still feel like I'm unfair to people by doing this. I've always thought about life as a series of reciprocals. Making music helps you listen to music. Writing helps you read. watching helps you truly see. Listening helps you speak. And all of these are usually true in the inverse too. It just turns out that this theory isn't perfect in the end, at least not for my purposes; insofar as telling doesn't really help you hear (at least, it seems).

It was probably just a little to symmetrical to be true. I don't know, really, it's just the ravings of a madman. At a last though, it would be hypocritical of me to not say this at least; I don't know why it's so difficult for me to accept help, if I'm so willing to try and give it.

More random stuff

Sorry it's been so long, I've had a hectic week or so.

http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2219797/facebook-more-friends-myspace
First, congrats to Facebook on surpassing Myspace, and pissing off Rupert Murdoch. Hopefully all the hipster jackasses will leave now that it's too "popular" and "functional."

Okay, I've decided to make a run-through of the Legacy of the Force books in Star Wars (the new ones). I've just finished up Exile, and thought that it was pretty good. For a series written by three authors, I really like how well they manage to maintain cohesiveness in the character's feelings from novel to novel (beyond the obvious fact checking stuff).

Also, i realize I should do more album blurbs, but I don't have any drafts or stuff in mind right now. Basically, I'm just lazy.

http://www.kingdomofloathing.com/static.php?id=whatiskol

Lastly, I've restarted my Kingdom Of Loathing account. And you should start one too, if you enjoy humor, wit, art, or the English language. It's seriously too damn funny. Start one, post-haste.

The War on Drugs (The War on Poor Americans)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-fZu1UuNpY

There you are, some Sabbath to set the mood.

The War on Drugs has (according to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, The US Government's record keeping agent for said war) cost America (between the state and federal governments) about $23 billion dollars. So far. This Year.

Of course that's only one one looks at the actual budgeted expenditure's . When one looks at the fact that almost 2 Million people are arrested yearly for drug offenses, and our population is about 310 million, it becomes apparent that you're locking a lot of potential-work-force-and-taxpayer crowd into the justice system, where they now COST the government money.

Additionally, according to a UK study, the War on Drugs has had the unanticipated effect of driving the markup for theses substance to record prices (Cocaine's markup is %1000!), so that the cartels can afford to fight against American forces. Now that's smart, playing in to your enemy's hand, because they're better businessmen. Not to mention you economically cripple the addicted peoples you claim to want to help.

Expect to here more about this from me. As Sean and I say, The biggest waste of government money ever is 30 years old and right under your nose.

Sundry Happenings In My Life

Okay, I've officially played some 4e. Only a little, but it counts. The combat seemed to flow pretty well, and I like that everyone has got something fun to do. And I mean something that actually has a meaningful effect on the encounter's outcome. Not just holding actions or gratuitous tanking. Some games I play in never seem to have a completely balanced, effective combat that's not just pandering to a couple party members; because of the fact that engaging the entire party will often just result in a particularly gruesome outcome. (I scream, you scream, we all scream for TPK!!) I don't like revamped saving throws as much, but hey, you win some, you lose some.

I got some new T-shirts today. A few are blank, so if anyone's got a cool screen they hid away after Art ended, tell me. (Dyani, that means you.)

I'm at my Dad's this week, so if you want to hang out with me (and I hope you do readers of my blog; all 4 of you) I need a little more forewarning. It's just to make it all work, logistically. That's really it. Seeya.

Great Music: My List of Near Perfect Albums

Here, as promised, is a list of albums that have have changed my life forever. Their strengths are varied, as are their styles. But they are all amazing for one reason or another. If you like anything you see talk to me about getting it, or piss off the RIAA and steal it. Either one's cool with me.

Here's the format -

Artist - Album

My Spiel

"Name of Song" Youtube link of song of album

Here we go (in no particular order);

Cannibal Ox - The Cold Vein

Wow, this is probably my all time favorite Hip-Hop album (well, one of them). El-P's production is amazing and Vordul Mega and Vast Aire's lyrics are as close to poetic perfection as one can see or hear. The songs flow together in a way that you can see the almost cinematic-esque quality of the whole. This album is probably the purest form of "night music," ie. cold, dark, enveloping, a bit paranoid, but always cognizant of what is going on around it. Also, "The F-word" (It stands for friends, just in case you were wondering) is one of the best songs ever written about love. It's not a love song, it's about the cold and brutal truth of one-sided love.

"Scream Phoenix" http://youtube.com/watch?v=NT5mbaYhdbs&feature=related

Hiromi Uehara - Time Control

This was probably the hardest artist to nail to one album. Hiromi Uehara is a tremendously talented Japanese jazz pianist with one of the best bands in the genre, period. Tony Grey (bass), Martin Valihora (Drums), and Dave "Fuze" Fiuczynski (Guitar) are all hyper capable, and together, they lend their lyrical brand of fusion the best kind of support. The talent on their respective instruments alone make the music worth checking into, but their interplay, broad delivery, and musical interplay take it beyond just being good.

"Deep Into The Night" http://youtube.com/watch?v=9XoFZHzvEoQ&feature=related

Isis - In The Absence Of Truth

Post-Metal's low tuning heroes, Isis, are probably heavy music's most touchy-feely artists. These guys can create albums that not only evoke raw emotion, but are (production-wise and conceptually) twenty times deeper than most of their compatriots. I actually use this band to make fun of lots of others. I've taken to calling them Explosions In The Sky, but with balls. They also have the amazing talent of seeming vaguely familiar, but incredibly exotic at the same time.

"Dulcinea" http://youtube.com/watch?v=_ZfspVFUBAo

Marvin Gaye - What's Going On

The crowning culmination of all soul music, this 1971 album proves that being wholly in a genre (or the soul of that genre) is no reason to fall prey to it's cliches and pitfalls. Originality is what makes this recording sound just as good and fresh now as it ever has. Also, super bonus points for picking some social themes that ARE JUST AS RELEVANT TODAY AS THEY WERE IN THE 70's!! (The enviroment, unjust war, politics that are against the populace, and poverty chief among them.)

"Inner City Blues" http://youtube.com/watch?v=vPH3xNkHFhE


That's all for now, even though I've only scratched the surface. I'll probably do some more tomorrow.

On Apologies

So, Barack Obama has officially crossed the threshold of delegates needed to be the Democratic nominee. I'm sure I'm only the ba-gillionth blogger to post this in about the last hour since he announced it. (No, wait! I'm going somewhere with it, really!) The thing of it is that, earlier today Terry McAuliffe (Hillary's election committee's chairman) announced (in his typical, "you really have to look at through the lens where Hillary is winning, damn the torpedoes!"- way) that an AP report saying that Hillary would stop campaigning was false, you've really got to wonder just what he's thinking now.

I mean Barack won, McAuliffe has some egg on face, I bet. I'm curious to hear just how he'll extricate himself from this situation. Beyond that, if you're a member of Obama's camp, what do you do about that. Do you forgive and forget, even though he has wounded by publicly propagating a campaign that wounded his credibility. A lot. Or do they voice their complaints even though it might not help unify the party.

So, I'm wondering, in general (because of an interesting personal perspective on the subject), if apologies are best accepted to help bring people together and smooth out problems. Or if you should not alway accept because there are unresolved issues that might be buried. I don't know, I've got to think on it.

In other news, I'm done with school for the year. But, in spite of this, guidance did manage to completely fuck up my schedule at the last minute because they combined the semester long courses "Statistics" (which I had signed up for) and "Trigonometry" into one class, "Stats and Trig." Joy. Fuckin' Joy.

Also, I think tomorrow I'll start working on my "great pieces of art" lists. Music and books will probably come first, others might follow.

Random stuff, and the end o' the year

So, next week is such a joke for me. I have to take one final, and then I'm done. It feels ....... way too anti-climatic.

Anyhow, I've looked at the leak of the 4e rules and am upset by the oversimplification of alignment more than anything else. (It's now Lawful Good, Good, Unaligned, Evil, Chaotic Evil; as opposed to the two-axis system) The rest of the system seems well thought, meticulous, and just different. I'm cautiously optimistic, it'll depend in no small part on the DM in question though.

I've been listening to Voodoo by D'Angelo a good bit. The rhythm section (Pino Pallidino on bass and ?uestlove on drums) is really just something else. Also on the Neo-Soul front, Erykah Badu - who's releasing the second half of her New Amerykah album in July has some kicking stuff too. I'm psyched

Here's a taste: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4XI6LXCsH8&feature=related


Also, just 'cause, a paper on religion and the English Reformation from my Acting Shakespeare class. Be careful, it's lengthy:

Religion has always been an interesting point of humanity’s nature. Somehow it has played into everyone’s life, directly or not. A curious point of modern Religion is the nigh-ubiquitous presence of so many forms and ways of worship. It is easy to forget that in the past the availability of today’s religious world wouldn’t have existed. All sorts of ubiquitous religions today would have been not only unusual, but even bizarre in Elizabethan England. After all, religion didn’t only control its churches, but also made up parts of the political entities that were used to the ends of the empires. To us, through the lens of modern life, the changes between the Catholic and Anglican Churches in England might not seem extremely drastic, but at the time it made all the difference in the world for the English Empire.

Prior to Elizabeth I’s coronation England was in a period of fairly serious religious turmoil. Belief and the endorsement of the monarch were divided between the (Protestant) Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church because of the state of fluctuation between the two in the 30 year period preceding her reign. (1517 – 1564: The Reformation) To fully understand what caused this rift between the churches and why it was so vital for English supremacy during the time of Shakespeare, some crucial facts can be learned from the history of the relations between Britain and Rome, as well the Tudors that preceded Elizabeth on the throne before.

Henry VIII (Elizabeth’s Father) had formed the Church of England because of his desire for annulment of his marriage of his wife Catherine of Aragon (of Spain) on the grounds that she had previously been married to Henry’s brother Arthur (who had died shortly after the marriage). Henry probably wanted the marriage annulled because of her failure to produce a viable male heir, but instead Mary Tudor (to whom we will return). Also important was that Henry had little interest in having a Spanish political alliance longer than he had too. He cited a verse in Leviticus forbade the marriage of a sibling’s spouse to a surviving brother, saying that it had cursed the marriage to not bare any child of consequence. (The Reformation)

Pope Clement VII refused the request, most likely out of his fear of Charles V’s response (of Spain, brother to Catherine and had military control over all of Rome). He had already been held in his quarters, almost as a hostage. Clement tried to appease both sides; using the stated reason of the length of Henry’s marriage (18 years) to Catherine was highly unusual for annulment, and the couple’s marriage had obviously already been consummated, making it concrete. (1517 – 1564: The Reformation)

Henry decided to deny papal authority on the matter though because he still sought a male heir, this time by Anne Boleyn (an attendant to Catherine and Protestant). In 1534 the Church of England was solidified (certain overtures towards an individual national church of England had been taken previously however) with the passage of the Act of Supremacy (of 1534). (Queen Elizabeth I, Gloriana)

This law asserted that the head of the Church in England was the English Sovereign (Henry VIII) and that they alone had control over all religious affairs in the Kingdom. (The Reformation) Interestingly and conveniently enough the laity and the vested officials of the Church were cleared of any offense and given a chance to convert. Most took the opportunity as it was given another such law (Treason Act of 1534) made it an offense of treason to dispute the Act of Supremacy or associate at all with the Catholic Church. (1517 – 1564: The Reformation)

Some monks and nuns who enjoyed prosperous living were somewhat put-off by these changes. The fact that the monks and nuns were some of the richest and most powerful Catholics in England didn’t bode well for the new Anglican Church. Henry chose to dissolve most of the monasteries instead of having to deal with a constantly critical religious “aristocracy” that was propagated by the Catholic Church in England. (The Reformation)

This is actually a point that religion of the period had come to some consensus on, and was one of the major outcomes of The English Reformation that helped to make England a dominant empire entering the 1600’s. (The Reformation) Henry figured that the priesthood shouldn’t live an exceedingly affluent and influential life without having loyalty to the Crown, and thus the people of England. He figured that it was, after all, the priesthood’s duty to aid and help the populace. (Lace 62)

Thomas Cramer, a minister to Henry VIII compiled a report on the monasteries of the time, saying that the monks were lazy and remiss in their duties. His auditors used a particularly trick line of questioning. They would ask if the monks were honoring their vows, referring to vows of silence. If the monk refused to respond he, would be placed under arrest for contempt of the Crown. If he answered that he had kept his vow then his membership in the order was terminated. (The Reformation) Henry then went through several wives and the officials of the new Church debated dogma. (1517 – 1564: The Reformation)

Following the death of Henry VIII the crown briefly went to Edward VI, who was only 9 when he took the throne. During his 6 year reign the advisors to the crown argued of who would control England. The power of the Anglican Church only grew during this period, with it putting out the first Book of Common Prayer and formalizing its dogma. (The Reformation)

The Book of Common Prayer was an English language bible available to the public, much in line with Martin Luther’s concept of general priesthood. General priesthood was major tenant of Protestantism, stating that all baptized members of a church are priests and thus able to read, study, and interpret the bible. (The Reformation) Interestingly, Henry had the language of sermons and service’s changed to English and had the Bible printed in English (the precursor to the Book of Common Prayer) even though he banned the general public from reading it outside of church because of his interest in English scholars over students of Latin. (1517 – 1564: The Reformation)

These were practices that the Catholic Church did not endorse, because they thought Latin was the universal language. The Papacy had felt in this period that a person shouldn’t be allowed into the Priesthood unless they had extensively studied both Latin and the Bible, and both under the watchful eye of another, more senior member of the Church. (1517 – 1564: The Reformation) Even now in the Catholic Church reading the Bible outside of the presence of a clergyman isn’t explicitly banned it is somewhat frowned upon (in theory if not in practice at least, it is almost never an enforced rule) the logic being that it is not a large leap from reading scripture to misconstruing its meaning without the careful guidance of the Church’s officials. (The Reformation)

Following his death was the extremely brief installation (9 days) of his cousin, Jane Grey, a devout Protestant. (1517 – 1564: The Reformation) She was deposed, imprisoned and executed by Mary I, mostly because she was a potential rallying point for the people who wanted a Protestant monarch. Mary promptly took the throne, promptly converted the nation back to Catholicism in 1553 by repealing the Act of Supremacy. (Lofts 114)

Before long the monasteries and convents returned, but in ferocious support of the crown due to the presence of a Spanish Queen and Catholic government. It didn’t hurt that most of the ministers who were converting to Catholicism were converting back to Catholicism. This was a decision that they embraced in part due to the Mary’s rule but also because the Catholic Church had established history, dogma, leadership and methodology. (Lace 49) The widespread public in England supported the decision because the Catholic Church of the era had all the things listed above, all the things that the English one lacked. (Lofts 112)

Before long she acquired the appellation Bloody Mary because of how fiercely and doggedly she persecuted the Protestants in England at this time. The Tower of London acquired a reputation for holding not just criminals, but also holy men, generally given a last chance to atone before their execution, generally by burning at the stake. (Lofts 116)

Mary’s incendiary period of government came to a close in 1558 when she fell dangerously ill. The royal succession was called into question because of Elizabeth’s inheritance of the English crown wasn’t recognized because she was born of the unrecognized marriage between Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII. (Queen Elizabeth I, Gloriana) Mary personally made the final decision from her deathbed, where she recognized Elizabeth as her heir. She died shortly after; marking the last time that a Catholic has ever enjoyed the office of the English Monarchy. (Lofts 117)

Elizabeth was crowned and soon made sweeping religious changes; albeit back to the more moderate Protestantism of Henry’s reign. She passed a new Act of Supremacy and Act of Uniformity concurrently in 1559, with lukewarm reception from the bishops. (1517 – 1564: The Reformation) These laws changed the national religion back to Anglicanism; the clergy had to swear their obedience to Elizabeth (who was declared the “Supreme Governor of the Church”.) The laws said that citizens must attend an Anglican sermon once per month. Lastly, all subsequent people in succession to the thrown must be baptized Anglicans, even to this day. (The Reformation)

There were a few differences between Elizabeth’s Anglican Church and Henry’s. First of all the punishment for “recusants”, or Catholics who refused to give up mass and attend an Anglican ceremony was surprisingly mild, just a small fine. (The Reformation) It is easy to overstate how draconian this may seem in a modern light. However in Eastern Europe that kind of freedom in thought wasn’t commonly found elsewhere, mostly because of the Spanish Inquisition. (1517 – 1564: The Reformation) Elizabeth herself was quoted as saying, “There is only one Christ, Jesus, one faith. All else is a dispute over trifles.” Again, a somewhat conservative statement if taken at face value today, but when taken in the context of the events and schisms surrounding the occasion of its utterance, it is exceedingly remarkable as one of the great libertarian sentiments of the era. (Queen Elizabeth I, Gloriana) Catholic bishops (posts that were given by Mary) in hiding were somewhat more doggedly pursued though because of the insecurity of Elizabeth’s post. Her council regulated the deportation of most bishops in Great Britain. (Lofts 120)

The major difference between Elizabeth’s Anglican Church and Henry’s was actually in the Bible though. Elizabeth changed Henry’s rule, figuring that study of the Bible should not only allowed by the widespread populace, but actually encouraged. (Lace 60) All around England people began to learn to read for the purpose of reading the Bible. The English Renaissance of Elizabeth’s and her descendant’s reigns that included the luminaries of William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlow, Francis Bacon, John Milton and Thomas Morley was in no small part because of the Tudor’s (and Elizabeth’s) indirect and direct support of the arts. (Queen Elizabeth I, Gloriana)

England’s stance as a dominant power in that age was the result of several factors. While there is no single overarching reason or cause for this success in statecraft and government of the age’s England, one cannot discount the contributing factors in this era. Much like the old adage “For Want of a Nail”, the events leading up to the creation of the Church of England and the English Reformation’s effects upon the outcomes of history’s flow are especially startling to think about. If it weren’t for a political marriage not yielding viable male heirs and if it weren’t for Charles V’s occupation of Rome, there probably would never have been a Church of England. If it hadn’t of been for the serendipity of Mary announcing Elizabeth’s succession the English Church might not have made it out of the footnotes of history books. If it weren’t for the Church of England there wouldn’t have been the explosion and the outpouring of culture that helped to establish England as an economic, military and cultural center in the world.

Works Cited

“1517 – 1564: The Reformation.” Anglican Timeline. Ed Friedlander. 10 Sept 2000

16 Nov. 2007 <http://justus.anglican.org/resources/timeline/06reformation.html>.

Lace, William W. World History Series: Elizabethan England. San Diego: Lucent Books 1995.

Lofts, Norah. Queens of England. New York: Doubleday & Company, 1977.

“The Reformation.” History Learning Site. Chris Trueman. Chris Trueman. 12 Nov 2007. <http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/reformation.htm>.

“Queen Elizabeth I, Gloriana.” Britannia History. 2007. Britannia.com. 17 Nov. 2007

<http://www.britannia.com/history/monarchs/e1r/gloriana.html>.

DnD 4e Impressions

Okay, I've read most of the character portions of the quick-start 4e rules. I'm not sure how to feel about it. On the positive side, it seems more cinematic, and (frankly) Spycraft-y. They consolidated skills, made skill points simpler, apparently gave the races tangible benefits through all levels (other than stat boosts or bonus feats and skills, of course), and evened up the character classes (on both the "fun-to-play" and "essential-ity for a full party" fronts).

However, that also acts against it for me. It seems like giving a first level fighter 30-odd hitpoints, or letting the first-level rogue get 2d8 sneak attack damage might de-balance some of the fun of low level games. That, and healing surges letting you recover a fourth of you hitpoints in 5 minutes. Part of the fun of the game (for me) was running around, close to death, scared of the Kobolds that may or may not be around the corner.

I don't know. I think it'll be good, but different. I want to see the character creation system, DM tools, and monster concepts. But provisionally, I'm neutrally ambivalent.

What I'm not neutrally ambivalent about is These Arms Are Snakes and Mastodon releasing new albums this year. I love Matt Bayles production on everything he does, and both are just such wonderfully creative bands. Now, I've got to play bass for Jazz band. And I forgot to add, "Medium Cool," our closer, should be really good too.

School's (Almost) Out For Summer

First things first:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=No15x3EcO64&feature=related

I just listened to the leak of Opeth's most recent studio album, Watershed. It actually has me excited about them again. I think that they really broke out of their more rote songwriting and grew tremendously. Also, It's a lot heavier, not just in timbre, but in composition. I attribute a lot of that to their new members Martin Axenrot (Drums) and Fredrik Akesson (guitar), and not having too much of a Steve Wilson (of Porcupine Tree fame) influence.

Next, I'm psyched about the Jazz Band concert this Wednesday, I think it'll be enjoyable. It's starts 6 :30, and they're will be a banquet. So come for free food and Jazz music. Stay for the crappy concert band (or not)! Highlights will probably be "Take Five" and "Area 51".

Next, Thursday and Friday at 7:30, is the Acting Shakespeare showcase, which will take place after the drama class show. I'm super psyched. Nora and I are performing the first 160 lines or so of Macbeth: Act IV, Scene iii. I'm playing Macduff, and she's Malcolm. It'll be a hell of a lot better than that terrible Daniel Hahn-BW rendition of Macbeth. I guarantee it. I'd tell you more, but you should really just come to see it. Be there, or be held guilty of missing out on some of the best pieces in the English canon performed by obnoxious highschool students.

Death Note

First of all, check it out -

Brother Gatling Gun of Looking at All Sides of the Question

My unitarian jihad name. Straight up badassery, I think. I do like to look at all sides of the question. Almost as much as I like acceptance, kittens, love, and ABJECT, DISMAL, BRUTALITY!

I like it. It seems especially, um, magnanimous.

Secondly, I watched the newest Death Note on adult swim. There are only about 6 episodes left and I'm super curious about what's going to go down. I'm also curious of what Adult Swim will put on after. It'll be good I'm sure. Now, I've got to go play some bass and do illumination stuff.

Brave New World! and Other Bullshit!

So, this is it. The internet. And a blog to boot. I kinda feel as though I'm standing on the spacious spacious frontier of technology and assembly. The precipice, if you will. It's weird, in a head-rushy, not sure what I'm doing sort of way. I'm not even sure why I'm doing this.

Maybe all my adoring fans (all 6 of them) will convince me to expand on this. I mostly think open forum is just a good idea, and really like writing. If whoever reads this is lucky, they may even get a few posts on my ideas on Emerson-ian philosophy, DnD or any kind of music I happen to be obsessing about (good or bad) at the moment.

Any how I'll leave you with these:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEJLmFp5sNo - An angry man with a news show. Dedicated to Sean

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDcUmLJtz6Y - THE shoegaze band. One of the best songs of a great album.