Minutiae

A number of things occurred to me today.

1) Led Zeppelin, by far my favorite band, induces a powerful emotional response that I often find myself incapable of enduring for extended periods of time. While some may use this as ammunition to attack my masculinity (I don’t, but that may be because I am not really in the habit of attacking my own masculinity), I feel that “induces a powerful emotional response that I often find myself incapable of enduring for extended periods of time” sounds much more manly than, say, “causes me to cry like a little girl.” This is not the onset of sadness, so much, as overwhelming metaphysical assault launched upon my spirit, inducing an overpowering sense of bliss.

Actually, it brings to mind a Venture Bros. quote, as most things do, recited in my very best Patrick Warburton voice:

“Come on! It’s about love and loss…yeah…and Hobbits…IT’S A METAPHOR!”

2) I find myself amused by the question “Why can’t you use your evil powers for good?” There are a number of reasons for this. First, if someone has an “evil” power, I imagine it would be difficult to use it for good, if we are to take the classification of “evil” as absolute. Second, this question occasionally pops into my head when my colleagues refer to me as the “Grammar Nazi,” and then I quickly use said “evil” power to 1) make my previous point, and 2) think to myself that I am actually more concerned with mechanics than grammar, which would, of course, lead others to then brand me the “Semantics Nazi.”

Actually, I think if I DID have “evil” powers, I think I would want to be an invincible, if hideous, time monster whose sole purpose to punish those that dare to disrupt the timeline======>


I just kind of like the idea of kicking ass and taking names in the whole “ground trembles and walls, earth, and unsuspecting bystanders are forever pulled into a gaping emptiness, never to return” thing. Though the weakness against water thing would probably be pretty annoying, as would being defeated by something called the “Water Sword.”

3) Speaking of relative “evil” and the definition thereof…Jeff, I’m thinking of teaching the “Miner Method” or the “Miner Evasion,” or whatever you choose to label it, in my argument class. Basically, this will consist of taking the most difficult to define or relative term in the conversation and posing the following question:

“But what IS ________ really???”

You will, of course, receive mad royalties should they ever materialize.

4) Causal analysis?
-Odd impulse: desire to watch more anime.
-Action: order anime on Netflix.
-Result: bizarre addiction and overload of hackneyed plot elements.
-Prime hackneyed plot element: 15 year old Japanese school girl transported to mythical feudal Japan/China/Korea-like world, meets and falls in hopeless, tragic love with stoic, dashingly handsome warrior/celestial guardian/half-demon with purple hair.

(no photo found at risk of embarrassment)

So, aside from all that time filling stuff, I plan on cleaning the place up (my apartment) and maybe taking some pictures. Now that I know how to post pictures, I’m ruined. Seriously. As if you hadn't noticed. Until then, I’m off to Chapel Hill for the weekend.


More Germany pics (only a few, they’re, like, 20 megs each. That’s how kick ass my camera is):

Heidlelberg, in town looking up at the castle:

Okay, in town, same Berg, and then up at the castle. It was starting to rain, so the rest of the gardens and retaining wall didn't turn out too well, though the one on the right is okay: