| Profilo di Tel'An Ancient LegionBlogElenchi |  Strumenti  Guida |
|
01 novembre Moving!So, as some of you know, we're moving away from here. Away from MSN Live Spaces, or whatever they're calling them this week. Away from the ever changing URL, away from the constant uglification of the net. Away from the association with Microsoft.
In some ways, we shouldn't complain. You get what you pay for, and this is free. That being said, this is the internet. A lot of stuff is free, and a lot of it is better than this. The place we've moved to is nicer, cleaner, has better company and is actually free. See, here we're "paying" for the space with those ads you see at the top. The place we're moving to has no ads as the default. If we decide to put up ads, we'll be given some of the money generated by those ads. All in all, it's a nicer place, and we're happy to be making the switch.
The new blog is located at http://neverlaughatlivedragons.blogspot.com/. We've moved some of the important bits like the Most Wonderful Ever Boyfriend Replacement Kit already. Not sure what we'll end up keeping and what we're throwing out. The Kit is currently causing problems for those who use Internet Explorer. Basically a warning might pop up saying that the page won't display properly. The way to fix this is to go to http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/, get Firefox, and then proceed to use it instead of IE. You'll thank us later.
With the Kit causing certain problems and other issues, the new site isn't completely set up yet. It will probably be in some form of construction for quite awhile. However, it is useable (even by those who use IE), and thus I invite you to come over. Update your bookmarks, change your links, fry up a chupaqueso, and enjoy.
Legion 22 giugno Sorry% Sorry for a number of things. The first being the lack of updates, though I'm not very sorry about that, as I am following my schedule pretty much to the letter. I'd also like to appologize to any of you who had a trackback to my page who weren't spamming me - I deleted all of the trackbacks because of the sheer amount of spam that was being linked to. I would like to thank Magpie for pointing the spam out to me.
% I am not going to apologize to any of the spammers. Spammers make me angry, and quite frankly test my ability to be a loving and kind person. May you live in interesting times, every one of you. And may a thousand seagulls nest on your car.
% In other news, JuggLer has gone and updated the other website. If you have any idea what I'm talking about, you are welcome to head on over at any time. %
Sabius 15 giugno Homemade Voltmeter+ I have mentioned this to some of you before, and I will mention it to most of you again. I really like the type of mind which, upon deciding that the standard store bought voltmeter is not quite accurate enough, decides that it is much better to make one from scratch than to buy a more expensive one. What's even better is when one not only succeeds in making a voltmeter from scratch, but makes one which is more accurate than the standard store bought ones and which has all sorts of other little features that one finds useful.
+ I, unfortunately, do not know how to make my own voltmeter - yet. But I do have the homemade one that my grandfather made. It's a definite goal to strive for.+
+Data+ 29 maggio Cut! Let's Try This Again, People! Places!So I'm reading this book, it's realy quite a good one, I recommend it to people who like to think, and it uses the term "a practising Christian". I'm like "Well, that's a relief - this is only practice. We'll be ready for when we have to do it for real." Then I realized that just cause that guy was practicing didn't mean that I was. He might be like the pitchers in baseball, where they got those guys practicing in the bull pen during the game so you can call them out when the current pitcher gets tired. I wondered if that guy might be my replacement. I figure it's unlikely since I don't even know the guy and I figure most pitchers get to know their replacements fairly well. Course, they know them from practice, which brings me back to the whole issue of whether I'm one of these "practicing Christians" or not. One would think that I would know, or that someone would have the decency to tell me. There is always the chance that I'm using the word "practice" wrong. I mean, it has several meanings. I went and typed "define: practice" into Google (Yes, I am a googler - I have the GooglePack and everything. Don't know what most of it does, but I have it.) The first entry had 9 different definitions. One that caught my eye was "the exercise of a profession; 'the practice of the law'; 'I took over his practice when he retired'" which was followed by "carry out or practice; as of jobs and professions; 'practice law'". This second one disobeys one of the key rules of defining something: never use a word to define itself. However, these are useful definitions. Is a "practicing Christian" one who exercises the profession of Christianity? A doctor practices medicine. This, to me, means that ey goes to work each weekday morning and spends the day doing medicine. So a practicing Christian would be someone who goes out each morning and does Christianity. Which brings up some interesting questions for me. I honestly don't know much about what "doing medicine" involves. I assume that a doctor spends most of eir day trying to heal sickness, fix broken people, telling people whether they should worry about a lump or not, and telling them that they should change their oil. It's probably a lot more complicated than that, though. In the same way, I don't know much about what "doing Christianity" involves. It would seem, from the stereotypes, that it consists of holding certain views on a number of topics (e.g. homosexuality, creation, abortion, unicorns, etc) and letting people know that I hold these views in the most aggressive and antagonistic way possible. This is rather unfortunate, and not only because I only really have a set view on the unicorn issue. So what else could "doing Christianity" involve? I'm willing to bet that part of it is feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and caring for the sick. It probably includes more, but I'm already looking at that short list and going "boy, this is going to be difficult". Cause I don't go to work in the morning and spend my day doing that. Should I be? Another aspect of this analogy is that, once a doctor is finished in eir office, ey goes home. And while a doctor will help someone on the way home if there is an emergency, ey tend to stop practicing medicine at the end of eir day. A Christian, on the other hand, should probably continue practicing Christianity when ey go home. In many ways, it's especially important they do so. So maybe that's not quite the right definition of "practice" either. There's another one that I'll go into. It reads "avail oneself to; 'apply a principle'; 'practice a religion'; 'use care when going down the stairs'; 'use your common sense'; 'practice non-violent resistance'". While the examples used in this definition confuse me (why are there examples that don't use the word being defined?), one of them is "practice a religion". Since this is the use that has caused all this confusion, this seems to be the right definition. Only one problem: I don't know what "avail" means. So, back to Google I go; "define: avail". 4 definitions in the first group. I eliminated the last one right away because the example it gave was one that didn't include the word "avail". Not impressed. The first definition had me worried: "use to one's advantage; 'He availed himself of the available resources'". To me, this sounds like what people who use religion to start wars or advance their particular views are doing - using it to their own advantage. I liked the connotation of the second definition better: "be of use to, be useful to; 'It will avail them to dispose of their booty'". This would suggest that a practicing Christian is of use to something or someone. Sounds a little bit like a reverse of the first one, though - and a little too vague. Of use to what or to whom? In what way? The third definition, while it is for a noun (and happens to be a particularly poor example of how to do examples in definitions), intrigues me: "a means of serving; 'of no avail'; 'there's no help for it'". A means of serving... I like that. Christianity as a means of serving. Yes, it's as vague as the last one - serving what or whom? But for some reason, this works better. One who serves is a servant. Servants may be asked to do all sorts of things, depending upon what's needed at the moment. I think the answer to "serving whom?" might be "everybody". And again, I'm stuck. I'm not sure I can begin to do that. 30 marzo It's Free, And It's Hot, And It's Chocolate^So recently I was handing out free hot chocolate. Why, you ask? And I know you do ask, cause everyone who had some seemed to ask that very question. The answer: cause it's a nice thing to do. And because we recently had a guy come speak to us about doing random goodness, and we thought we'd give it a shot. And, I have to admit, after awhile we were doing it for the look on people's faces. 17 marzo Emo Cred<Hmmm... How does this work, exactly? Oh yeah
Dear Diary,
I'm so worried about not having any emo cred. If the moderators come around, they might kick me off. Then I would lose you forever. I'd have to switch to blogger or LiveJournal or even get my own site. I'm not sure I'd be able to stand it. My only hope is to get some emo cred with my poetry skills. I worked hard on these, diary. They weren't easy. The first one is abstract and modern. Chicks really dig a guy who's shallow enough to write stuff like this:
*sniff* *tear* It makes me depressed just looking at it. I call it "The Deep Poem". Writing it inspired me to write the next poem, which I call "Changing Paradigms and Shifting Perspectives to Provide a Synergistic Solution." I made it by changing one letter at a time from a base word.
I know it's a bit avant guarde. A lot of people won't get it's deeper meaning. Sometimes even I don't get it. But then I remember that I'm dressed in black and have a mournful face on, and therefore I must get it. My final poem is a free form piece. I broke free of the constraints of normal poetry, of structure, of common sense, of intelligence, of consistency and of good quality. I call it "Dark Places"
There it is diary. The hard work of many hours. Hopefully you're the only one who ever sees these. You're the only one who could possibly understand. That's why I write you on the internet, on an open blog that anyone can read. I feel like a burrito. You know, all wrapped up in myself, kinda gushy and gross on the inside and hard to eat without getting some on yourself.
End < I think my emo cred is built up for at least a little while longer. Those of you who know where to look and are interested, Juggler has posted some new poems on his special place. I can pretty much guarentee that they'll be better than some of the one's here, if only in that they all contain more than one word. And now back to our regular, unschedualed program.> 27 febbraio Stabby McStab Stab<I was recently informed that the only people who use "My Spaces" (as in, sites like this one which are provided by MSN) are emo kids. This is rather unfortunate, as I don't think I can lay claim to being emo. So my blog is (currently) coloured black. And some of the others have done some more sentimental stuff. But really, that doesn't even get me into the poser-emo ranks. I haven't broken down on any (published) entries yet, and you won't see any pictures of me crying on this site. (Two reasons for that - I have a life, and I'm paranoid about putting pictures of me on the internet.) Since neither of these are likely to happen yet, and since I would like to keep this site (despite not using it that often), I have decided that I must write some emo poetry. If I write something full of phrases like "The darkness is an abyss that stares back at me with blackened eyes" and "Life is like a brick thrown into a pond full of eels", I figure that my emo credentials will skyrocket enough to secure my spot here for at least another month. The only thing is, I'm not sure I have enough teen angst left to write something like that properly. It will be a challenge, but I will rise to it! Oops... that wasn't very emo. I mean: "It will be a challenge, and I will cry about it until it goes away. Then I will find something else to cry about".
<Oh, almost forgot - Mood: Pathetic> Tel'Kin Notes: Thanks and blame go to my brother for inspiring this. Thank-you also to Adam and Andrew for making the song that's referenced at various times here. http://audio.isg.si/audiox/?q=node/69 for the song and lyrics. (Legion is not responsible for the content of the site referenced. Said site is probably not suitable for little children and those susceptible to suggestion. It would also be bad for emos, if they had any self esteem left.) 12 febbraio I'm Still Alive:Or so I'd like you to think. Yeah, there's been a significant lack of updating on this blog. Sorry about that. But I figure it is now time to close the "Naym Thu Phoche" contest. Basically, I've decided to go with Sailor's Delight. However, I've also chosen a number of nicknames. The main one is likely to be Skitty, cause honestly, he's still really skittish (don't you love the originallity here?). I'll also be using Φξ and Molino, cause I like the sound of them (and they're both shorter than Sailor's Delight). Lastly, in honour of the song, he'll also be called Jelly. (to the tune of "I'm a Little Piece of Tin") (I think....) My fish Jelly ran away He came back the very next day I asked Jelly where he'd been Where oh where had Jelly been? Jelly Bean, Jelly Bean Where oh where had Jelly been? Jelly Bean, Jelly Bean Where oh where had Jelly been? The verses after the above are similar, except that names of the fish (in the original song, dog) change to things like Lima, String, Mister, CurtKo, Refried, etc. So yay! End of the contest! Sailor's Delight has a name. All is well in the world.: JuggLer. 22 gennaio Wonder†Good morning. I hope you slept well last night.† says Jesus "I did, thank-you" I reply. "Though I think I slept in - we're going to be late for class. Thank-you for agreeing to come with me today." †You're welcome.† We walk out of my rez. I had invited Jesus to come with me to class this morning, as I had heard He was a good example to follow, and that He would be willing to make the time to be with just about anyone. We walk down to the road, side by side. It's a nice day out, unseasonably warm for this time of year, so I decide to take the most direct route, instead of weaving my way through the tunnels and buildings that form my normal path. Coming to the road, I start to cross it when Jesus pulls me back. A moment later, a small car goes by, its bottom scraping the road as it goes over one of the many speed bumps. "Thanks." is all I can manage to say. Jesus smiles, says †You're welcome.†, and after checking that the road is clear, leads the way across. We come to South Campus Hall. It's easier, not to mention warmer, to walk through it than to try to walk around it. As we go through the building, there's another student standing there, by the benches. Does Jesus go over and greet him? Does He sit down and talk with this young man, who may, like so many other students, be going through some confusing times? Or does He walk past, knowing He's late, knowing that if He greets the student He'll create more confusion, knowing that there's a good chance that this student feels he's in control? We walk out of the South Campus Hall, and over to the engineering buildings, where my class is held. Jesus opens the door for me, and then I for Him as we walk through the airlock style entrance. We walk into the classroom with little time to spare. Jesus happens to be in front, and I follow Him as He finds a seat. Where does Jesus sit in a classroom? Near the front, where it is easiest to pay attention and where the teacher can see you? Near the back, opening up the front seats for those who arrive late and those who need to sit closer, either to see or to understand properly? An aisle seat, somewhere in the middle of the row, or an end seat? As the class goes on, does Jesus answer the questions the prof asks, helping the flow of the lecture? Or does He sit back, hoping that one of the weaker students will use the opportunity to work out a solution for themselves, and gain confidence in their ability when the teacher uses their answer? Does He help the student next to Him, who does not understand what the teacher is talking about, or does He simply promise to help the student after the lecture is over so as not to disturb those around Him? Does He ask the prof leading questions, knowing the answers but also knowing that some people in the class did not understand? Does He correct the prof's slight notation error, or does He wait for the prof to fix it himself, thus saving face? Lunch time rolls around. I do not expect another miracle with loaves and fishes, though I'd certainly love to see it done. Does Jesus bring a bagged lunch? Buy from the Coffee & Donut shop run by the faculty? Does He share with others? Does He still follow the dietary laws of the prophets, or does He share a salami sandwhich with me? Does He buy fair trade coffee, or eschew coffee altogether as an addictive drink, choosing herbal tea instead? Or does He choose mint simply because it tastes better? I prepare for going back to class. Jesus is going with another student for the afternoon, so I wish Him well and say "Good-bye." Jesus waves, says †God bless you.† and walks off to find His other follower. How can I follow Jesus properly, when I don't even know where He will lead? How can I follow Him, when I don't know how He'd react? How can I be His, when I feel I've hardly met Him? 07 gennaio Naym Thu Phoche:So.... this is my third time writing this. MSN Spaces doesn't like me very much, apparently. Or maybe I'm just more technically challenged than I thought. As you may have guessed, I'm holding another naming contest. In keeping with the tradition of not calling contests "Name the *insert thing here*", this one will be called "Naym Thu Phoche". Yes, it's still pronounced "Name the fish", but it looks so much cooler. At least, I think so. You're free to object if you truly must. Just to warn you, it won't change anything if you do object. :Anyway, this contest is to name the betta fish I got for Christmas. He's blue, red, and purple, with veil fins. He lives in a little tank near my window with a plastic plant and a monkey wrench. I may try training him to use the monkey wrench, but not just yet. :So far, the names that have been given are: - Widget - Gamma (or other letters of the Greek alphabet) - Φξ (Phi Xi, which could be prounounced "fishy") - !Xobile (the !Xo is prounounced as a click made by the tongue forming a suction with the roof of the mouth while the rest of the mouth silently mouthes the word "Xo", giving the lips the round "o" shape, which changes the sound of the click. The rest is pronounced "BEE-lee") - Norman (please no!) - Alec (as in, smart alec) -Sancho Panza (after Don Quixote's squire) - Merrow (after the Irish merpeople) - Sailor's Delight (as in "Red sky at night, sailor's delight.") - Sailor's Warning (as in "Red sky at morn, sailor's be warn'd") - Fillet (should be self evident) - Molino or Molinillo (windmill in spanish - Don Quixote again) - Nemo (after the captain, not the fish) - Shark Bait (after the fish) :Comments on which names you like and which names you disapprove of are greatly welcomed, as well as suggestions for more names.: o O o JuggLer. PS :I'm going to keep on adding names to the list, as they get suggested/turn up.: |
||||
|
|
