thinking only autumn thoughts

2005-08-16T13:28:00.000-05:00

This blog has moved to:

http://martiananthropologist.blogspot.com/

Please visit me at The Martian Anthropologist!

2003-04-08T23:26:00.000-05:00

If prime-time TV is daring today -- then what would you call THIS?

Can't wait until the second season of Twin Peaks comes out on DVD...

2003-04-08T22:58:00.000-05:00

Amid Allied Jubilation, a Child Lies in Agony, Clothes Soaked in Blood - "Yes, I know the lines. President Saddam would have killed more Iraqis than us if we hadn't invaded – not a very smart argument in the Kindi hospital – and that we're doing all this for them. Didn't Paul Wolfowitz, the US Deputy Defense Secretary, tell us all a few days ago that he was praying for the American troops and for the Iraqi people? Aren't we coming here to save them – let's not mention their oil – and isn't President Saddam a cruel and brutal man? But amid these people, such words are an obscenity..."

2003-04-08T21:26:00.000-05:00

Bought a digital camera today; here is one of the first pictures I took:

2003-04-08T20:44:00.000-05:00

Boy, my wife and I can relate to this. Logan got sick again a few days ago, then gave it to me. I think this is perhaps the worst flu I've ever had. I'm just now feeling better today. Logan is still building up his immune system, I guess.

2003-04-05T16:57:00.000-06:00

From this March 23 column (Lessons relearned in a boy's first war):

"Of the 535 members of Congress, only ONE (Sen. Johnson of South Dakota) has an enlisted son or daughter in the armed forces..."

"With any luck, no one from my son's generation will grow up to write a poem like Jarrell's The Range in the Desert, which ends:

Profits and death grow marginal:/
Only the mourning and the mourned recall/
The wars we lose, the wars we win;/
And the world is - what it has been."

2003-04-04T20:23:00.000-06:00

Here's a quote I think about a lot from the movie Point Break:

This was never about money for us. It was about us against the system. That system that kills the human spirit. We stand for something. To those dead souls inching along the freeways in their metal coffins, we show them that the human spirit is still alive.

"All those dead souls inching along the freeways in their metal coffins..."

I recently had lunch with a friend of mine who is doing data entry at an insurance company. While I was waiting for him, people kept coming out of the building to go on their lunch break. They all looked so harassed, and glad to be out of there for just a few brief moments. It reminded me of the way I used to be, many years ago.

Human beings were not meant to spend their lives in cubicles. We were meant to live. To create. To enjoy life, to suck out the marrow.

I will not, when I come to die, discover that I have not lived.

2003-04-03T23:49:00.000-06:00

Poor Logan. He got very sick today. Got the ol' pinkeye. Danielle took him to the doctor tonight and got him some meds.

Late tonight, I watched Ghost Ship. Good premise, but man, did the plot deteriorate fast. Don't rent it!

2003-04-03T23:38:00.000-06:00

I think I've had this conversation several times. Thanks to www.wilwheaton.net for the link...

2003-04-02T14:13:00.000-06:00

Yahoo! News - Strain of Iraq war showing on Bush, those who know him say

Okaaayyy....

Here's a quote from that article:

"[Bush is] being hard on himself; he gave up sweets just before the war began..."

Yeah. I can see it now. We've got soldiers dodging SCUDs and sandstorms, in the bloody midst of war. But, wait, their seargant says. If you boys think you have it rough, just read this story! The commander-in-chief isn't eating sweets!

Fucking inspirational. Poor Bush has it so rough...

2003-04-02T10:02:00.000-06:00

As usual, The Onion uses sarcasm to make some very valid points: I Should Not Be Allowed To Say The Following Things About America

2003-04-01T22:03:00.000-06:00

I'm re-reading Dandelion Wine, by Ray Bradbury. This prompted me to do a Google search on it today. When I did that, I found this website. Nice to see other people on the web that like Bradbury's books so much...

2003-04-01T14:05:00.000-06:00

Go to Common Dreams for some real news.

"An eclectic mix of politics, issues and breaking news with an emphasis on progressive perspectives that are increasingly hard to find with our corporate-dominated media."

2003-04-01T11:00:00.000-06:00

The Reef Ocean Resort - Vero Beach

11 days left!

2003-03-31T20:47:00.000-06:00

This is a new series I've started reading. Jack Reacher makes Spenser look like a wimp.

2003-03-30T09:00:00.000-06:00

You have got to be kidding me with this. Are there really so many sheep in Amerika?

2003-03-28T18:57:00.000-06:00

This project aims to record single-mindedly and on a virtually real-time basis... the fruits of war: the death toll of innocents.

2003-03-28T06:36:00.000-06:00

Who's leading Who?

2003-03-26T15:07:00.000-06:00

The day is cold, and dark, and dreary.

2003-03-24T07:53:00.000-06:00

I just read the following:

"In 1964 physicist Freeman Dyson observed that intelligent life in the universe may or may not be a happy development. It 'may indeed be a benign thing, creating isolated groups of philospher-kings,' or -- just as likely -- it 'may be a cancer of purposeless technological exploitation, sweeping across a galaxy as irresistably as it has swept across our own planet... What is there in the universe may conform to our moral sense or it may not.'"

Interesting thought.

2003-03-18T13:28:00.000-06:00

Ray Bradbury: The Small-Town Plaza... What Life Is All About.

2003-03-17T08:15:00.000-06:00

Here's how Iowa celebrates a 70 degree day in the middle of March.

I'm sitting out on my back deck with Bes the dog right now, on my wireless laptop, drinking coffee, and listening to and watching the birds. Filled up the bird feeders and the squirrel feeders.

Ah... life is good.

2003-03-14T23:05:00.000-06:00

Got the Iowa MUFON website up and running. I'll be adding more to it over the next few days.
.
.

2003-03-11T19:52:00.000-06:00

Just got The Night Stalker DVD in the mail today. I bought it last week on eBay. The Night Stalker movie was the inspiration for The X-Files and has been called "possibly the best vampire movie ever". Here's a blurb from Amazon.com:

"Wisecracking Carl Kolchak (Darren McGavin) is a rumpled news hound plucked from the fast-talking newspaper flicks of the 1940s and dropped into the swinging '70s. What makes the eccentric Kolchak even more unique, however, is his nose for the supernatural, a trait that leaves his editor (Simon Oakland) exasperated and the police less than amused. When he insists that a late-night Las Vegas serial killer (who leaves his victims drained of blood and sporting twin holes in the neck) is a modern-day vampire, he's practically run out of town by the local authorities. Naturally, he stalks the vampire himself, an unlikely Van Helsing armed with a silver cross, a wooden stake, and his ever-present tape recorder and flashbulb camera. Carol Lynley is his understanding girlfriend, and Ralph Meeker, Claude Akins, Kent Smith, and Charles McGraw costar as the Vegas cops and politicians Kolchak systematically alienates with his abrasive charm and smart mouth. Directed by Dan Curtis from a witty script by Richard Matheson, the quirky mix of horror and humor turned The Night Stalker into a ratings sensation that inspired a sequel (The Night Strangler) and a short-lived TV series (Kolchak: The Night Stalker). The X-Files creator Chris Carter acknowledges the show as a major inspiration, and has cast McGavin in a recurring role as a retired X-Files veteran with an acerbic personality and a familiar rumpled wardrobe. Kolchak lives!"

Both The Night Stalker and The Night Strangler are on this DVD. This is a pretty rare DVD. Gonna watch it tonight!
.
.

2003-03-10T07:47:00.000-06:00

Email from my uncle Oliver from the other night. Just got his permission to post it here.

The Lovecraft quote from "The Night Ocean" you entered on 21 Feb. reminded me of some things also. I don't believe I have ever read H.P. Lovecraft, but my piece in "Darkness" does remind me of his writings and thoughts. His writing about the ocean, while walking in the dark with his flashlight reminded me of my short, occasional walks aboard the ship I served on during my 4 years with "Uncle Sam".

There were a few times, that in my loneliness from being away from home for months at a time and nothing to do but work and stand watch, and being aboard a very small WWII era destroyer, I would wander out to the aft part of the ship and just stand and lean against the depth charge rack. To watch the ocean in total darkness, to see the phosphorescence foam and hear the sounds of the ocean seemed to settle down deep in the soul. There is just no real way to describe it. The ship would take the gentle rolls with the sea, and the ocean's foam would reflect just enough light from the moon and the stars to just make out the motion of that ocean and swells and rolls. Even without a moon, you could distinguish the movement of the sea. I can still see the foam at the tips of the swells and waves churning from the props of the ship.

It seemed to bring back a lot of feelings that I had as a young child: afraid of the dark (yet, I was not afraid of any particular thing then), but those same feelings were there. Later, I have often wished that I had a pen and paper at the time, because many things came to my mind - personal feelings, stories, and things I have long since forgotten.
.
.

2003-03-09T18:34:00.000-06:00

Good day today.

At 11am, I met the Iowa MUFON state director, and the assistant state director, at Borders. Very productive meeting. I'll have the Iowa MUFON website up and running sometime this week. Bev has already emailed me some information, including crop circle pictures in Iowa, etc.

Then I came home, and Danielle, Logan, Mom, and I went to the Botanical Center, where the Planned Parenthood booksale was being held. I got a couple of good science fiction short story books. After buying some books, we all walked around the Center. Man! I'm going to have to go there more often; it's like being in the middle of spring!

Next, we ate lunch at Baker's Square, then went to the library, where I checked out a couple of books, including a book called The Return. I've been reading it this afternoon; really good so far. It's one of those books you read just because it's a fun read, not because it's deeply meaningful or anything. It's not Thoreau.

www.iowamufon.com was available, so I registered it. It should be up and running in the next few days.
.
.

2003-03-09T10:21:00.000-06:00

I woke up this morning with this vision in my head of a perfect summer morning; with the sun shining, the grass green and freshly mowed, and the birds singing. Pictured myself taking a cup of coffee and going out on my back deck with Bes the dog. Then, later that morning, going out to garage sales with Danielle and Logan and finding treasures.

I can't wait until winter is over. Just a few more weeks!
.
.

2003-03-08T21:28:00.000-06:00

Well, I'll be meeting with Bev Trout, the Iowa state director for MUFON tomorrow morning, to see about making a website for them. I'm looking forward to it, and to getting involved with MUFON again.

I'll report back here about the meeting.
.
.

2003-03-08T15:47:00.000-06:00

I received this nice email the other night:

Hi Dylan,

I just left your website. I was impressed by what you have going there. Read the first four chapters of your story, The Town of Autumn --- can’t wait to go back and see how Tom makes out with his “problem“ and the mysterious murders in Autumn. I also love the artwork.

I really liked your piece entitled Magic, very inspiring, I will never think of that word again in the same old way as before, thank you.

I have a small web magazine by the name of RD Magazine. I used to edit Apollo’s Review, the literary magazine online, until I shut it down a while back. RD Magazine is a combination author website for myself and a literary magazine. I also sponsor Guest authors from time to time. Long story, but the point is that I would like to offer a link to your site to my readers. I have a small column started these days called Web Surfer News where I link to new sites like yours that I find inspiring. You are not under any obligation to link back because I know that not everyone can, or want to, do this. I just like your site and your work and would like to offer it to my readers.

Stop by sometime and check us out:

http://geocities.com/rdmagazine/

I would also be interested in publishing some of your work if you feel like sharing it with my readers. I don’t pay contributors right now, but perhaps the exposure would benefit your site.

Well, gotta run. Let me know if it’s okay to link to your site. You can just hit the reply button and say --- Yip, link me.

Hope to see Chapter 5 soon. Keep on writing.

Robert Dugger / founding editor, RD Magazine

=============

To which I replied:

Dear Robert,

Yip, link me.

Thanks for the kind words. Got a busy day coming up tomorrow, but just wanted to quickly say "thanks" for your nice email and that I will check out your site in the next couple of days, and write a more lengthy reply. Right now, I gotta finish watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer, then go to bed. :-)

Thanks again.

Dylan
.
.

2003-03-08T12:09:00.000-06:00

My uncle Oliver added a second chapter to his story.
.
.

2003-03-05T09:52:00.000-06:00

Yahoo! News - Man Arrested for Wearing Peace T-Shirt

You have GOT to be kidding me.
.
.

2003-03-05T09:49:00.000-06:00

Here's an email I received; I tried to return it, but it bounced back. Hopefully John will see my reply here.

Dylan...

I would like to thank you for bringing back some wonderful memories! I am 42 years old and I read and owned all 6 Brains Benton books through the late 60's and early 70's.

Unfortunately those copies are long gone and to see those incredible covers again was amazing...and at the risk of getting corny...quite overwhelming. The memories that they brought back...I read them over and over again. All my friends were reading the Hardy Boys or The Three Investigator Series (which I also enjoyed) but they all paled in comparison to the adventures of Brains and Jimmy.

I was also quite amazed to read about your conversation with the author...I can't imagine the rush you must have gotten to have a chat withe the man. I was surprised to learn that he was from Ontario as I also live in Ontario. Hamilton to be exact which is about 30 minutes south west of Toronto.

I would be quite interested if you could tell me what city he was from.

Anyhow...I am about to embark on a quest to find copies of these wonderful books!

Thanks again...

John

=============

John --

You're welcome. Thanks for your kind email. Perhaps it's not clear enough on the webpage, but it was not me that spoke with the author, it was another guy on the Brains Benton discussion list.

Dylan
.
.

2003-03-05T08:35:00.000-06:00

Vero Beach FL, An Introduction

Danielle, Logan, and I will be here, right on the ocean, in a little over a month. Can't wait.
.
.

2003-03-04T22:25:00.000-06:00

Gallup Poll Analyses - Economy May Be Hurting Bush Popularity More Than Iraq

Har, har, har.
.
.

2003-03-04T14:51:00.000-06:00

I sent Bev Trout an email about a week ago, telling her that I noticed that there is no Iowa MUFON website, and that I'd be happy to make her one, and keep it updated. Bev is the Iowa MUFON director, and I've known her a while now. She sent me a very nice email back, telling me that she really appreciated my offer, and that she wants to take me up on it. We'll be speaking by phone tonight.
.
.

2003-02-27T08:37:00.000-06:00

I don't agree that we should ignore space; but the author of the article on the link below has a great point. Most people don't realize that we know next to nothing about the ocean. It's largely unexplored. It holds more mysteries than the moon. It's home to the most bizarre forms of life imaginable.

The US needs a NASA for exploring the oceans
.
.

2003-02-26T18:50:00.000-06:00

Very cool.

Yahoo! News - 'Virtual' War Protest Ties Up Senate Phones
.
.

2003-02-24T12:45:00.000-06:00

An email I received today:

Hello Dylan,

I too am a fan of the Brains Benton series. In fact, I joined your discussion list on Yahoo! after I discovered your excellent site a few weeks ago. I had never heard of the Case of the Painted Dragon, although I have several of the others. So now I am on a quest. Thanks for all of your great work!

I am currently compiling a list of my favorite kids books for my weblog and was wondering if I might also include a link to your site.

Best regards,

j shinn

http://shinnsbone.blogspot.com/

P.S. I love your site layout. I had to laugh when I saw it because I just happened to choose the very same template for my blog.

Reply I sent to him:

Absolutely you can link to me; I'll do the same to you in today's blog. Thanks for the email. It's fairly easy these days to get all 6 books on eBay, by the way.

Dylan
.
.

2003-02-24T12:38:00.000-06:00

End of the World Is Nigh, Says Long-Dead Scientist
.
.

2003-02-21T23:38:00.000-06:00

My uncle Oliver let me know that he is starting to put his story Darkness Takes Control on his website. (Click here.)

The introduction starts off: There is in each of us, an unknown that haunts us mostly when we are asleep. Often, we dream and are almost on the verge of discovering whatever it is that seems to haunt us from time to time. Then, for no reason at all, we awaken with a fear in the pit of our stomach that is only reminiscent of what we experienced as young children when we had to go to bed at night and imagined that there was some unknown under our bed or in our closet...

Reading this introduction, I was reminded of something that H.P. Lovecraft wrote:

"The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. We live in a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far. The sciences, each straining in its own direction, have hitherto harmed us little; but some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality, and of our frightful position therein, that we shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the deadly light into the peace and safety of a new dark age."

H. P. Lovecraft, The Call of Cthulhu (1926)

By the way, if you're interested in Lovecraft, I can think of no better story to start with than The Night Ocean. Click here to read the entire story. It's not full of action, but it is full of mood, and very well written. Some quotes from the story:

"Vast and lonely is the ocean, and even as all things came from it, so shall they return thereto. In the shrouded depths of time none shall reign upon the earth, nor shall any motion be, save in the eternal waters. And these shall beat on dark shores in thunderous foam, though none shall remain in that dying world to watch the cold light of the enfeebled moon playing on the swirling tides and coarse-grained sand..."

"The house, dark from the sea-wind though it had not been painted, was not even a satellite of the village; but swung below it on the coast like a pendulum beneath a still clock, quite alone upon a hill of weed-grown sand. Like a solitary warm animal it crouched facing the sea, and its inscrutable dirty windows stared upon a lonely realm of earth and sky and enormous sea..."

"I walked along that darkened sea as I went back to the bare little house, sending the beams of my flashlight out upon the naked and impenetrable void. In the absence of the moon, this light made a solid bar athwart the walls of the uneasy tide; and I felt an indescribable emotion born of the noise of the waters and the perception of my smallness as I cast that tiny beam upon a realm immense in itself, yet only the black border of the earthly deep. That nighted deep, upon which ships were moving alone in the darkness where I could not see them, gave off the murmur of a distant, angry rabble. When I reached my high residence I knew that I had passed no one during the mile's walk from the village, and yet there somehow lingered an impression that I had been all the while accompanied by the spirit of the lonely sea. It was, I thought, personified in a shape which was not revealed to me, but which moved quietly about beyond my range of comprehension..."
.
.

2003-02-20T14:47:00.000-06:00
ANTI BUSH T-SHIRT BANNED AT MICHIGAN HIGH SCHOOL... click here for the story.

Apparently, the teachers were concerned that the t-shirt would create a disruptive environment, and the students would not be able to "learn."

What about the kids learning about the First Amendment? Why not use this as an example? Some people may disagree with the message on the t-shirt, but the First Amendment is not there to protect popular opinions. It's to protect unpopular opinions.
.
.

2003-02-20T10:15:00.000-06:00
I was just watching some of my Hyperspace DVD. I know this stuff, but it's a nice re-fresher, and the graphics on this DVD are stunning.

Just got to the part where it talks about the number of stars in the universe. For every grain of sand on the planet Earth, there are a million stars in the universe.

Think about that.
.
.

2003-02-19T21:58:00.000-06:00
Saw Daredevil yesterday. Man, does that movie ever suck. What a complete rip-off of Batman.

Meanwhile, how COOL is this: Christopher Reeve will be on Smallville next week. More info here.
.
.

2003-02-16T17:40:00.000-06:00
To me, astronauts are heros. My uncle Oliver sent me an email with some thoughts about the Space Shuttle disaster:

Just been reading your weblog/journal page....and wanted to comment on the space shuttle disaster.

As you know, it disintegrated not too far from our home here in Arlington. My brother-in-law and I were working in North Richland Hills framing a house we're building. At approx. 8:00am, he yelled at me, "Oliver, did you hear that loud bang?" I had just turned on the chop saw and did not hear it. He yelled that it sounded like a car backfiring loudly. But, he thought it was too loud for that. We looked around thinking it was an explosion of some kind, but didn't see or hear anymore. No sirens, etc...

About an hour later, Henry and his son (the other two helping), arrived and asked us if we knew the shuttle "blew up". After they explained what had happened, George realized what he heard was the explosion which caused the unfortunate deaths of the astronauts.

Just thought I'd share that with you.

2003-02-16T10:03:00.000-06:00
My uncle Oliver is working on his own webpage -- just thought I'd post the link here, for future reference:

http://www.geocities.com/odavis44/index.html

2003-02-16T00:31:00.000-06:00
Wow. That was a lot of snow.

I spent the day basically just reading, and hanging out with Danielle and Logan. I started another Dan Simmons book today, called Hard Freeze -- actually, I started it and finished it.

It's kind of a detective/crime story. Very well written. I won't give away the plot, you can check it out at Amazon.com by clicking here. Two highlights that I will mention:

(1) In one scene, a character is reading a detective novel, part of a series. She describes the main character as an "old fart" that still "kicks ass." She also describes his girlfriend as a "bitch" and "arrogant." One gets the feeling that she doesn't think the novel is very well written. Gee, I wonder who she could be talking about? LOL... Glad I'm not the only one that thinks Susan is a bitch. Thanks, Dan.

(2) At another point in the book, two of the characters discuss Kohlberg's Moral Stages Theory. Any book that's got dialogue like that just has to be good.

2003-02-15T14:42:00.000-06:00
We're all snowed in today.

Just finished the last of Summer of Night. Wow. If you don't like this book, or Boy's Life, then I think you've forgotten what it is to be young.

2003-02-12T20:40:00.000-06:00
From Foxnews: WASHINGTON — "North Korea has an untested ballistic missile capable of reaching the western United States, top U.S. intelligence officials told Congress Wednesday. In Vienna, the U.N. nuclear agency declared North Korea in violation for its nuclear program and reported the country to the Security Council..."

Read the rest of the article here.

Can I ask again why Bush is pushing so hard to go to war with Iraq, and ignoring North Korea?

2003-02-11T03:42:00.000-06:00
Squint your eyes! If you squint hard enough, a miracle will take place!

"Workers from Randwick Council repair a vandalised fence at a lookout near Coogee beach in Sydney's eastern suburbs February 10, 2003. Vandals had torn down the fence post in Sydney, which devote Catholics had begun to flock to because they believed it appears as a likeness of the Virgin Mary. For more than a week devoted Sydney Catholics have been flocking to a vantage point about 300 metres (1,000 feet) from the small wooden fence which, when viewed at certain times each afternoon through squinted eyes is believed to be a likeness of the Virgin Mary." REUTERS/Tim Wimborne

2003-02-10T09:55:00.000-06:00
Fucking post office.

I went there this morning to mail two packages. I got there 10 minutes after they opened (with my infant son with me) to find the line already all the way to the door. Of course, only one window is open for service, even though there are many employees in the back screwing around -- in fact, one employee was talking to a friend of hers that had come in. All the while customers were lined up to the door.

I wait in line, with Logan, for 20 minutes, for my turn with the grouchy old postal employee. Now, why is that? Why is every male employee of the post office (at least the ones that work inside) such an asshole? God forbid he should smile, much less say hello. I even had one guy last month tell me to "get back to the back of the line" since I didn't have my address totally filled out. Bear in mind that was a 10 second process.

Hey, it's not my fault that he chose a career that's about as mentally challenging as asking "do you want fries with that?".

Anyway, after waiting in line for 20 minutes, the post office guy tells me that my packages are not wrapped up good enough. Perhaps I want to re-wrap them with some of their very expensive packaging, then get back in line.

WHATEVER.

As a testament to my self-control, I did not kill him right then and there. I just left without a word.

And the post office higher-ups just can't fathom why they are losing business to UPS. Speaking of which, I think my policy from now on is to use UPS. They're friendly, and they are dependable. They might be a bit more expensive, but fuck it.

It doesn't matter how bad an employee is -- it's next to impossible to get fired from the post office.

And what's up with this "Postmaster" thing? Other office managers are called -- uh, MANAGERS. But the manager of a Post Office is called a Post MASTER???

Give me a fucking break.

Here's an informative link. Some highlights:

"Americans should be asking if the post office needs another increase. What efforts has it made during hard times to cut costs? Has it enforced a hiring freeze? Has it asked (as some airlines have done) for workers to take pay cuts or reduced hours to help save costs? Has it begun an investigation into waste, fraud and abuse in order to cut costs? In short, has it done any of the things that real private businesses do to cut costs and save profits?

The answer to all of these is "no" because the post office, in spite of all of its propaganda is not a private company. It is a government agency with a government-controlled monopoly on first class mail delivery that is able to get price increases from Congress almost at will, regardless of need or whether its customer base or the market can afford it. It appears that it can demand these increases with literally no oversight of how it runs its business. No private business has that kind of power.

The Postal Service has the most powerful union in the world. It rarely can fire a bad worker or lay off an excess workforce. Even in its current financial crisis, the Postal Service has plans to reduce its 900,000-man workforce by a mere 20,000 workers. However, without a mandated hiring freeze, such a reduction is no guarantee that the layoffs will have any effect..."

Read the rest here.

2003-02-08T13:44:00.000-06:00
Wow.

Japanese scientist invents 'invisibility cloak'

A Japanese scientist has developed a coat which appears to make the wearer invisible... click here.

2003-02-07T20:00:00.000-06:00
There is someone out there I'd like to share this with... you know who you are.

2003-02-07T05:16:00.000-06:00
I just started the coffee going, and turned on the computer. According to my Weatherbug, it's -3 F outside. Wow. I can't wait for spring.

Haven't written much the last few days because I've felt so sick. Feel a bit better now; I went to the office for a while yesterday. In the last couple of days I read A Winter Haunting, by Dan Simmons. I've never heard of this author before. Man, this guy can write. I'm going to check out more of his books from the library. I did a little online research of him, and found that he has also written a book called Summer of Night, which has been compared to It (Stephen King) and Boy's Life (Robert McCammon). One reviewer said it's better than both.

Well, It is a good book. But Boy's Life is one of the best books ever written. If Summer of Night is better than Boy's Life -- man, it must be a good book. I love it when I discover a new author that's really good.

Starting to get some pretty good hits to my story, The Town of Autumn, thanks to some links from dark websites, especially Horrorfind.

Last night, Danielle and I listened to the first CD of Get The Edge by Anthony Robbins. Great stuff.

2003-02-04T19:57:00.000-06:00
Man, I feel like shit. This flu that Logan gave us is terrible. Now I know what the expression "death warmed over" means. Danielle and I both went to the doctor this morning; as usual, we got the old "let it run its course" routine. Danielle took Logan to his regular doctor today, since we could not get him in the other day. We had to take him to a walk-in clinic at that time.

The regular doctor was very upset at the walk-in clinic doctor. She said that that doctor had no business giving Logan the medicine that she did; it was a complete waste. She said that from now on, to never take "no" for an answer from her receptionist when Logan is sick -- no matter how busy she is. So that was nice. Logan's got the medicine he needs, now. LOL - Danielle told me that as she was leaving, she could hear them on the phone yelling at the people at the walk-in clinic.

Didn't get much done today, obviously. Looks like I'm starting to get more hits to The Town of Autumn, thanks to the links I set up the other day at a few places. I'm going to read in bed for a bit; I'm reading a book called The Mole People: Life in the Tunnels Beneath New York City. Oddly enough, it's not fiction. Here's a blurb on the book:

"There is, says Raleigh News & Observer staffer Toth, a city below New York City: a fantastic underworld of men, women, and children who are born, live, and die in the darkness beneath the streets. In the early 90's, the author, then a Los Angeles Times intern, spent a year exploring that nether world, preparing this startling report. Toth first heard about ``the mole people'' from a child who claimed that her classmate lived underground; further research brought the author into contact with Sgt. Bryan Henry, a Grand Central Station cop who introduced her to one ``J.C.'' (most of Toth's homeless use pseudonyms), the ``self-described'' spokesman for an underground community of 200--a large but not unprecedented number for one of the dozens of camps, gangs, and roving bands that Toth found in the tunnels. These tunnels--including gas and sewer lines as well as abandoned subway tunnels and stations--honeycomb the city's foundation, descending to seven levels and housing perhaps 5,000 lost souls. To the uninitiated and, at first, to Toth, the tunnels are terrifying: She walks them both guided and alone, aware of forms flitting past, of rats and madmen. She visits camps whose members stay below for weeks at a time; she watches a ``filthy and bearded'' loner skewer and roast a ``track rabbit''--a rat; she talks to graffiti artists, women, teenagers, and a kill- for-hire gang whose services cost $20. Pausing in her chronicle, she surveys underground life in history and literature, from Egyptian slaves living in mines to Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man. Finally, Toth flees the city's depths, her life threatened by a mole man who thinks her a police informer. The life expectancy of the average mole person, stricken by drugs and disease, is under five years. Toth's unusual sociological adventure story, then, is as saddening as it is gripping..."

I'll probably post some more thoughts on this book when I'm done reading it.
.
.

2003-02-03T12:41:00.000-06:00
On Friday, the day before the space shuttle Columbia was to land in Florida, mission specialist Laurel Clark sent an e-mail to friends and family describing the awe-inspiring views of Earth from orbit. You can read the email here.

2003-02-02T14:45:00.000-06:00
Logan has had the flu for the last few days, poor little guy... and now I woke up this morning and realized he's given it to me.

So, just puttering around on the web today; don't have the energy for much else. I submitted The Town of Autumn to a bunch of gothic and dark weblink sites, like Darksites.com and Internet Underground. Hopefully, that will get even more people to the story...

I also put my Magic essay up - I wrote it several years ago. You can read it here.

Probably going to read the rest of the day. I got Stephen King's Everything's Eventual from the library the other day. It's pretty good -- I've always enjoyed his short story collections.

2003-01-29T13:15:00.000-06:00
I've been re-reading Walden lately. Some quotes:

"Time is but the stream I go a-fishing in. I drink at it; but while I drink I see the sandy bottom and detect how shallow it is. Its thin current slides away, but eternity remains. I would drink deeper; fish in the sky, whose bottom is pebbly with stars..."

"I went to the woods because I wanted to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and such out all the marrow of life…"

I'm not a person that sleep-walks through life. And I want to make sure that I never am. It's too easy to get bogged down in being "busy" and to forget the important things. Things like him. Thinks like having time to think about life, the universe, and everything. Having time to just BE.

2003-01-23T13:25:00.000-06:00
From the Daily Breeze:

As veteran White House correspondent Helen Thomas signed my program Thursday evening at the Society of Professional Journalists’ annual awards banquet, I said, “First time I ever asked a reporter for an autograph.”

“Thank you, dear,” she said, patting my arm. “Don’t lose heart.”

Those are words that should be engraved at the bottom of every journalism degree. That’s because I’m not sure that any business can cause a heart to be lost or broken faster than this. And Thomas probably knows this better than anyone because she began reporting in 1943.

Thomas, in case you’ve never seen a presidential news conference, is the woman who has haunted every U.S. president since JFK...

...As she signed my program, I joked, “You sound worried.”

“This is the worst president ever,” she said. “He is the worst president in all of American history.”

The woman who has known eight of them wasn’t joking.

Read the entire article here.

2003-01-23T13:19:00.000-06:00
From MSNBC: "President Bush’s popularity ratings — once among the highest of any president in the past 60 years — are eroding across the board, according to a new NBC News-Wall Street Journal poll. Bush is losing ground in several key areas, including foreign policy, the economy and his handling of the war on terrorism. And as the escalation of U.S. forces in the Persian Gulf continues, the poll finds a growing number of Americans oppose military action to remove Iraqi President Saddam Hussein from power..."

More HERE. The man is a dim-bulb, and I'm glad that people are starting to see it.

2003-01-21T12:43:00.000-06:00
After the police chief of Portland, Ore., defied a local judge and said he would continue to examine suspicious people's garbage without search warrants (because, he contends, curbside garbage is public property), reporters from the local Willamette Week newspaper examined (under cover of night) a December day's curbside garbage thrown out by the chief, the district attorney and the mayor (who is officially the chief's boss). The newspaper published an inventory of each official's trash, finding much banality (e.g., what the mayor planned to watch on TV) but nothing illegal or improper. When told what the reporters did, the police chief got hostile, and the mayor, said the reporters, "went nuclear." [Willamette Week, 12-24-02]

You can read the newspaper article here.

2003-01-18T20:28:00.000-06:00
I found an inexpensive DVD of Donnie Darko the other day, and watched it for the second time tonight.

I don't really have a "favorite" movie. I like different movies for different reasons. But Donnie Darko is at the top of the list.

In one scene, Gretchen tells Donnie that her step-father has emotional problems. Donnie replies, "I have those too! What kind does he have?" That should give you some small clue as to the flat-out different-ness of this movie.

It defies description, but here is a short one anyway. To say more would ruin the movie for you if you haven't yet seen it:

Some may think that Donnie Darko is a typical maladjusted teenager. Actually, Donnie is borderline delusional, beset by visions of a monstrous rabbit, which is trying to keep him under its sinister influence. Prompted by this apparition, Donnie commits antisocial acts while he is undergoing psychotherapy, surviving the vagaries of high-school life and romance, and fortuitously escaping a bizarre death from a falling jet engine. Donnie battles his demons, literally and figuratively, in a series of intertwining story lines that play with time travel, fundamentalist gurus, fate, predestination and the machinations of the universe.

You can download the movie preview here.

Here are some more thoughts, taken from this link:

=============

"Donnie Darko boldly attempts not only to transcend the time travel conundrum, but to link it explicitly to the biggest question of all: Does everyone die alone?

If God exists, he must by extension have a plan for the universe, a path for everyone to follow. If we are following a path that God knows from start to finish, then we should be able to jump to any point on that path because it already and always exists. Donnie is able to see these paths as Abyss-like arrows emanating from people’s chests. He tries to ask his science teacher what it all means, but his teacher can’t answer—he’ll lose his job. He can’t tell Donnie how to travel in time because it means telling Donnie that there is a sovereign God who created time and who oversees its unfolding.

Donnie’s bible is The Philosophy of Time Travel, a book written by Darko character Roberta Sparrow, a.k.a. Grandma Death. Sparrows are the birds most commonly associated with God’s providence. In the Bible, Jesus asks that we “consider the birds” to understand how God will take care of us. Shakespeare riffs on these words as Hamlet, confronted with his own mortality and understanding that he must take action, says, “There is a special providence in the fall of a sparrow . . . The readiness is all.” But the dark side of God’s providence is death. Hamlet understood this—the readiness of which he speaks is the readiness to die. Throughout Jesus’ teachings, the idea is that true devotion to God will remove the fear of death because of the trust that God is sovereign and he will provide, even after death. As the existential optimist Job says, “Though he slay me, yet I will trust in him.”

So why, then, does Roberta Sparrow say to Donnie, “Every living thing dies alone”? This question throws Catholic schoolboy Donnie into a tailspin. He thinks that the world is going to end and he’s going to die and be alone and there’s nothing he can do about it. Even as he falls in love with Gretchen and comes to know the depth of his mother’s love for him, Donnie watches his world spiral out of control. He finds destruction of his own making and destruction that is unavoidable. He can’t make heads or tails of any of it and comes to find that the world is a terrifying, dark place even as there are pockets of goodness."

=============

That's something that I think about a lot. "Every living creature dies alone." Of course, if there is a God, that's not true. I hope that's the case. And for any smug people out there that are just sure that you know the answers, let me assure you: you don't. But you can keep thinking that, if it helps you sleep better at night.

At the end of the movie, "Donnie is back in his bed on the night of his death. He laughs. He should laugh: he has time traveled, and now he will die—but Gretchen won’t be murdered. His family will weep but the world won’t come to an end at the close of twenty-eight days. He’s sacrificed himself to prove that God exists, that God is indeed sovereign over everything—and if God exists then no one dies alone, it is safe to die, and the world doesn’t have to come to an end. His death does change the future, profoundly, but he laughs because he’s learned that death isn’t the worst thing that can happen to a person, not by half."

Too bad it's just a work of fiction.

In the last few minutes of the movie, the song Mad World is played. Here's the lyrics.

All around me are familiar faces
Worn out places
Worn out faces

Bright and early for their daily races
Going nowhere
Going nowhere

Their tears are filling up their glasses
No expression
No expression

Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow
No tomorrow
No tomorrow

And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I’m dying
Are the best I’ve ever had
I find it hard to tell you
I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It’s a very very
Mad world
Mad world

Children waiting for the day they feel good
Happy birthday
Happy birthday

Made to feel the way that every child should
Sit and listen
Sit and listen

Went to school and I was very nervous
No one knew me
No one knew me

Hello teacher tell me what’s my lesson
Look right through me
Look right through me

And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I’m dying
Are the best I’ve ever had
I find it hard to tell you
I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It’s a very very
Mad world
Mad world
Mad world
Mad world...

2003-01-16T08:10:00.000-06:00
Someone on my Ishmael discussion list passed this story on. My thoughts follow.

>
> Scientists v. God
> ----------------------------------------
>
> There was a group of scientists and they were all
> sitting
> around discussing which one of them was going to go
> to God
> and tell Him that they didn't need him anymore.
>
> Finally, one of the scientists volunteered and went
> to go
> tell God he was no longer needed.
>
> The scientist says to God, "God, you know, a bunch
> of us
> have been thinking and I've come to tell you that we
> really
> don't need you anymore. I mean, we've been coming
> up with
> great theories and ideas, we've cloned sheep, and
> we're on
> the verge of cloning humans. So as you can see, we
> really
> don't need you."
>
> God nods understandingly and says. "I see. Well, no
> hard
> feelings. But before you go let's have a contest.
> What d'ya
> think?"
>
> The scientist says, "Sure. What kind of contest?"
>
> God: "A man-making contest."
>
> The scientist: "Sure! No problem" The scientist
> bends down
> and picks up a handful of dirt and says, "Okay, I'm
> ready!"
>
> God replies, "No, no. You go get your own dirt."
>
>
>
>

First of all, this story presumes that God exists. We don't really know that for sure. I'm certainly keeping an open mind, but if there is some overwhelming evidence out there somewhere, I must have missed it.

I know that every time a fundamentalist Christian has told me this "story," the point they are trying to make is that Science is getting too big for its britches, or something like that. Or is it have faith in God, not science? Whatever.

Yet those same people go to doctors, drive cars, use electricity in their homes, etc. All things that science provides.

I used to belong to a very strict fundamentalist church. I was raised to believe in the power of prayer. Yet every single time in my life that I have been sick, and have prayed to be healed, nothing happened. Yet every time I took the appropriate medicine, it worked! Amazing, huh?

Fundamentalists are very smug in their belief that they have the "truth", whatever their particular version of truth may be. Scientists are more humble than that. Scientists know that they don't know everything, and they endeavor to find out more. We learn more and more every day about the universe, and that's not because we pray and God provides answers. It's because we are using the scientific process.

In science, opinion doesn't count. Faith doesn't count. All that counts is evidence.

Faith is an excuse. Faith is a cop-out. Faith is saying, "I have no evidence for this, so I'm going to believe it anyway."

I take great offense to this "story" every time I hear it, because the person telling it is scoffing at science, yet without fail are using the benefits of science in their daily lives.
.
.
.

2003-01-12T10:29:00.000-06:00
From ROB BORSELLINO, a local columnist for the Des Moines Register:

"A few months back, the Polk County supervisors - led by the lame-duck contingent - decided to extend County Manager Teree Caldwell-Johnson's contract for two years. They also gave her a raise, kicking her salary up to almost $150,000, with all kinds of perks. I saw that and I thought these folks could not behave more ridiculously.

Then Tuesday morning, they proved me wrong. They eliminated the county manager's office altogether, and they fired Caldwell-Johnson..."

Read the column here. I'd like to add my thoughts on how ridiculous this was, but I think Mr. Borsellino has it pretty much nailed. It's going to be interesting to see how this lawsuit plays out. It'll probably end up costing the taxpayers more than they "saved."

2003-01-10T15:46:00.000-06:00
America. Land of the Free, Home of the Brave.

"COOKEVILLE, Tennessee (CNN) -- Police video released Wednesday showed a North Carolina family kneeling and handcuffed, who shrieked as officers killed their dog -- which appeared to be playfully wagging its tail -- with a shotgun during a traffic stop."

Click here to read more.
.
.

2003-01-07T16:02:00.000-06:00
Wow.

SEATTLE (Reuters) - Using a cosmic "zoom lens" made up of cluster of a trillion stars, the Hubble Space Telescope looked back in time to see the universe just 2 billion years after the theoretical Big Bang, astronomers said on Tuesday.

Check out the story here, and see the pictures here.

Kind of puts things in perspective. If we're lucky, we'll live to be 90. Dust in the wind, eh?

2003-01-06T12:31:00.000-06:00

John Poindexter wants to know everything about you. You know, just in case you're a terrorist. Check this out.

However, some people are turning the tables on John-boy... ordainary people are starting to track him! Check it out here.

2003-01-05T15:26:00.000-06:00
Chapter four of THE TOWN OF AUTUMN is now online. Click here to read the story. Click here to post any comments, if you'd like...

2003-01-03T10:14:00.000-06:00
I think this is just hilarious. I think I'll be posting a little more of my thoughts about the Des Moines scene, in the future.

Bwah ha ha ha ha! Here's an excerpt:

"It's true. The Des Moines City Council's decision to charge outsiders more to get into the Botanical Center, the zoo and other attractions has been a public relations disaster. Tell Mom and Dad they might have to pay a buck or two more to give the little ones a look at the prairie dogs, and they threaten to boycott. The council couldn't have created more ill will by voting to install toll booths on the edge of town and charging 50 cents a car - soccer moms in SUVs pay extra - to enter the city."

2003-01-02T22:41:00.000-06:00
Mood = dark.

I will have the fourth chapter of The Town of Autumn up this weekend.

~ That is all! Peace be with you! ~

2003-01-01T20:01:00.000-06:00
"You're here because you know something. What you know you can't explain -- but you feel it. You've felt it your entire life; that there's something wrong with the world. You don't know what it is, but it's there, like a splinter in your mind, driving you mad. It is this feeling that has brought you to me. Do you know what I'm talking about?"

With Gorilla gone, will there be hope for Man?

2002-12-31T09:20:00.000-06:00
Quote I recently found:

"We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life, when all we need to make us really happy is something to be enthusiastic about."

2002-12-31T07:59:00.000-06:00
I was just about to sign off and go to bed last night -- then I get this email:

Hey, What's up? How are you doing? I was just wondering if you were thinking of writing another chapter to your story The Town of Autumn. I would really appreciate it, seeing how I love your story so far. I was just checking to see if you haven't forgotten. No hurry, I was just kinda wondering. I really appreciate the story and just wanted to tell you that. You can e-mail me back (only if you want to).
Thank you,
Mikaela

Well, Mikaela, I don't know who you are, but you made my night. And, I have good news -- I'm just finishing up on editing the 4th chapter, and it will be up within the next couple of days! Thanks for asking.

2002-12-30T23:30:00.000-06:00
Man, am I glad Christmas is over. Every year I'm glad to see it come, and yet right after the 25th, I'm happy to see it go. Anyway, I went to go see Star Trek: Nemesis this past weekend. I thought it was pretty good, but just kinda missing something. Not sure what. It was certainly better than the last one.

Also, I received my four Time Travel books from Amazon.com. I'm especially excited about Time Travel in Einstein's Universe. It's not fiction. (Pet peeve: why doesn't the search engine at Amazon.com default to books?) The topic is fascinating in itself, but it also addresses how the study of time travel can be used to discover whether the universe created itself. More on this later.

People think it's odd that I don't keep up with sports. I just don't have the time to think about who's going to win, or even be in, the Super Bowl -- I think about things like the origin of the universe, life after death, and Schrodinger's cat. Maybe it's all the same.

I'm sure that the average visitor to this blog doesn't know who Brains Benton is, but if you do, you'll be pleased to know that there is now an online discussion group devoted to the books. I created it today. Now I have two online discussion groups -- the one devoted to saving the world is pretty active!

2002-12-26T00:01:00.000-06:00
It's a strange world. From the Associated Press, December 21: Fuzzy Strands Fill Skies Over Texas City.

2002-12-25T11:16:00.000-06:00
Good editorial in the Des Moines Register a couple of days ago. Boy, ol' Prez Bush sure ain't too bright.

2002-12-23T15:11:00.000-06:00
Christmas is coming up.

I'm not sure if I believe in God or not. I'd like to, but I won't believe just to believe. I guess you could say I'm an agnostic.

Did Jesus exist at all? If he did, was he really the Son of God? If he did exist, one thing is for sure: he wasn't born on December 25th.

I'd like to believe that he was the Son of God. I'd like to believe in God, period. But I've got more important things to think about this Christmas.

This is my first Christmas with a little guy named Logan. Logan was born on July 3, 2002, to my wife and I. And I know one thing for sure: if I accomplish nothing else in my life except being a good father to him, I will have accomplished a lot.

It doesn't matter how much money I make or how many presents I get or give. It doesn't matter how many stories I write or how nice my house is. What matters is him.

My wife recently bought a book for Logan and I. It's called YOU ARE SPECIAL, by Max Lucado. In this book, Eli the woodcarver helps Punchinello understand how special he is--no matter what other Wemmicks may think. Eli tells Punchinello that he is special because he made him; no matter what arbitrary system of judgement other people use. I guess a lot of people get the message from this book that since God made you, you are worthy of love, no matter what. And that's a great message, in my opinion, whether a person believes there is a God or not.

But to me, the meaning goes deeper. I want my son to always know that my wife and I love him, no matter what. Everyone makes mistakes, and he will, too. But that's part of being human. I want him to know that he is loved, just because he is. Not because he got a good grade, or made the football team. He is loved because he is our son, and he is unique.

And I know that no matter what mistakes I make, my wife will always love me. You see, that's the kind of love that we have. Not a love based on convenience, or fear of being alone. She loves me because I am me, and I feel the same for her. And nothing can ever take that away.

It does not matter what anyone else thinks, or says, or does. Danielle and Logan love me. They love me just the way I am, faults and all.

Christmas means something different to everyone. And now I know what it means to me.

Merry Christmas, Danielle and Logan. I love you.

2002-12-22T23:06:00.000-06:00
Just a test to make sure I can link to pictures on this blog. This fine work of art is not by me; I asked a very talented person to create this for my story, The Town of Autumn.

2002-12-22T22:50:00.000-06:00
Well, I'm going to go see THE TWO TOWERS on Tuesday with my sister. I can't wait. Speaking of fantasy, if you've played Everquest, drop me a line and let me know what you think of it. Good game? Too good? If it's as good as I hear, I may get addicted to it and get nothing else done!

2002-12-21T22:42:00.000-06:00
Danielle and I decorated the upstairs Christmas Tree tonight. (We have one in the den in the basement, as well, but the one upstairs is a real one!)

2002-12-21T13:40:00.000-06:00
Just started reading the Archy McNally series again, starting with McNally's Secret. I read them a few years ago, and can't really remember any of the plots. Started the first one again the other day, and got sucked in. I don't know what about these books appeals to me so much; perhaps it's a few things that I like, such as: the books are set right by the ocean, in Palm Beach, Florida. McNally, the main character, is quite a people watcher and is fascinated with what makes other people tick.

Here's a quote from McNally's Luck:

"It is my conviction that solemnity is the curse of civilization. Think of all the earnest people who have sacrificed themselves for gods now forgotten or wasted their lives on causes no one remembers. Laughter is our only salvation. Pray with a giggle and mourn with a smile."

To me, that doesn't mean being a silly person. It means don't take life so seriously. Enjoy the moment. Have fun; enjoy your friends and family. Because Death is coming. Another way to put it might be: Death is the Mother of Beauty.

Another cool link I found today: Death: More Fun Than It Seems?

2002-12-20T22:52:00.000-06:00
I've now got a great start to my Time Travel collection. I went to amazon.com tonight and ordered: Time Travel In Einstein's Universe, About Time: Twelve Stories, Past Imperfect, and Time Machines: The Best Time Travel Stories Ever Written.

I think I'm going to order the DVD Donnie Darko, soon, as well.