Posts

Showing posts from January, 2008

All Along the Watchtower

Battlestar Galactica, in it's finale for Season 3, use the old Dylan song "All Along the Watchtower" to good effect. The song had never resonated with me, but this time it did. I set out, looking to find the "best" version of the song. A search on Amazon turned up some 200 commercially available covers. Other searches I did put it at close to 600. Everyone loves to cover this song. I sampled Hendrix, Neil Young, and other versions, including one with a Latin sound to it. After much listening, I've decided this version is actually the one I like best. There is just the slightest hint of an Arabesque to this version, and it makes all the difference for me. Ignore the video, enjoy the music:

Okay, bear with me on this one...

Image
I glimpsed this photo on Google. Somewhere it pinged a strange thought in the back of my mind. I'm not sure why. Hilary's expression. Obama's monk like contemplative pose. But, here's what it made me think of: Bill as Kirk, Obama as Spock and Hilary as Bones. "You green blooded, inhuman...." I mean, is that not what's she really trying to say? Okay, maybe not, but it made me laugh.

Friday Afternoon and the Mail!

I've been sick and miserable all weekend. Something in my throat. Has me drinking honey with tea. I've consumed maybe half a jar in the past thirty hours. The honey works, I feel a lot better after I get it in me. It's the waking up in the morning that's hell. The guys that went to Jeddah for the weekend came back. One brought a battery for my motorcycle. Yaaaay! Now if I can just get the old battery out. Can't figure out where the final securing point is. Hopefully tomorrow in better light I can get it out. I really hope this gets the bike running again. The mail had hard copies of the books for my class. I hate reading stuff online, so it's nice to have those in hand. Also two books on Islam and "Battlestar Galactica: Razor" which I'd forgotten I'd ordered. A new movie to watch. Whoo! I rewatched "Ghostrider" and "the Matrix" last night. "Ghostrider" is so bad it makes a great background movie for doing something

Why I Love the Ancients

A tyrant must put on the appearance of uncommon devotion to religion. Subjects are less apprehensive of illegal treatment from a ruler whom they consider god-fearing and pious. Also, they do less easily move against him, believing that he has the gods on his side. Aristotle Really needs no commentary. I love the ancients.

Death

I came home from work to day to find one of the stray kittens my co-worker feeds had been run over. It's mother was still close by, as if wondering what could be done. The image, and the death itself, seemed to trigger a lot of grief and I found myself sobbing. I went and gathered him up in the shrouds used for making umra, the only thing I had in my house that seemed appropriate, though I imagine any local would consider it sacrilegious, when a man dies he is shrouded in the same thing. I find it strange, or interesting, or something that I would cry so over an animal that wasn't even a pet. I know I didn't cry when my grandfather died, and I can't recall if I cried over my grandmother. Felt grief, yes, let go any bouts of tears? I really can't recall. Some form of Stoicism saying I shouldn't cry over people, or something. All of which led me to dig up a quote from the Iliad I've always found very moving: "It is entirely seemly for a young man killed

Some Quotes

Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck. - the Dalai Lama There's a lot to be said for self-delusionment when it comes to matters of the heart. - Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider Came across these two while browsing Flickr. Unrelated, but liked them both.