Fan(atics)

Fanaticism

from Wikipedia.org:

Fanaticism is an emotion of being filled with excessive, uncritical zeal, particularly for an extreme religious or political cause or in some cases sports, or with an obsessive enthusiasm for a pastime or hobby. Philosopher George Santayana defines fanaticism as "redoubling your effort when you have forgotten your aim"[1]; according to Winston Churchill, "A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject". By either description the fanatic displays very strict standards and little tolerance for contrary ideas or opinions.

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The other day at work one of my supervisors at work passed on to me a little URL for the now "as seen on TV during the Superbowl" preview of "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra"! I watched it tonight. Then I got more interested in the movie and did a little online searching for more on this, sure to be a blockbuster whether it ultimately deserves to or not I make no judgements, movie by Michael Bay, of "Transformers" fame. I found one site that purported to be leaking pictures of the cast in costume, (test shots I think), and after checking out the pictures, I scrolled a little further down, and began to read the comments left by visitors to the site.

I couldn't help but both laugh and be, perhaps, just a little scared. These people were brutal in their dislike for the costumes, and in their hatred of the film, even though they hadn't seen it yet, and many were even talking about organizing boycotts of the film because of it. Every now and then there was a cooler head prevailing but even they were quickly shot down, metaphorically speaking, of course. But I have no doubt in my mind that for some of these fellow "Citizens of Planet Earth", a more literal interpretation would suit just as well. I thought about this for a minute and it occured to me what these people actually needed, as compared to wanted, was to GET A LIFE!

I mean come on! It's a frelling Hollywood comic remake, for frack's sake. And I heard people going on about how the movie was destroying treasured images from their childhood. It's a fracking comic book, people. And let's not forget there was also an "action figure". These were so named because the manufacturer could never have gotten away with saying it was a doll. They would never have been able to sell it if parents thought about it as buying a doll for their sons. Thus today we have the tradition of buying action figures for our sons at birthdays and at Christmas.

But. . .

. . . in my world GI Joe and Barbie, were the best of friends. The original BFF's you might say. Of course, what Barbie never realized was that Joe was only hanging out with her so he could get closer to Ken, who secretly swung both ways. Oh yeah, in my world, GI Joe was a fag! Yes children, Joe was as queer as a footbal bat.


. . .


So it seems that what I'm really trying to say here is that there's nothing wrong with being a fan of something. I happen to think fandom is terrific. I am a huge fan of the "Underworld" series of movies. Len Wiseman, Danny McBride, and Kevin Grevioux made a terrific writing team, Len is a phenomenal director with a palpable vision, Danny and Kevin were both in the movie, Danny as Mason, a Death Dealer working in Khan's group, and Kevin as Raze, a lieutenant of Lucien, the leader of the Lycans. As you can see I could go on at length, and may very well do so someday soon, if I can ever get my hands on a good copy (I mean, Offsite Archival Copy) of Dragon Naturally Speaking, and a couple more gigs of RAM. The point here is that fandom is all very well, but getting so worked up about the way a movie treats a comic character, or characters, that you would try to organize a boycott of the movie? That's just dumb, and wreaks of good, old-fashioned, 'waaaay too much time on my hands!' syndrome to me.



But I could be wrong.

November 2, 2008

-From Wikipedia
(October 28, 2008)-

** "All Soul's Day
-- November 2, 2008 -

The custom of setting apart a special day for intercession for certain of the faithful departed is very old. But the celebration of general intercession on 2 November* was first established by St. Odilo of Cluny (d. 1048) at his monastery of Cluny in 998. The decree ordaining the celebration is printed in the Bollandist Acta Sanctorum (Saec. VI, pt. i. p. 585). From Cluny the custom spread to the other houses of the Cluniac order, which became the largest and most extensive network of monasteries in Europe. The celebration was soon adopted in several dioceses in France, and spread throughout the Western Church. It was accepted in Rome only in the fourteenth century. While 2 November remained the liturgical celebration, in time the entire month of November became associated in the Western Catholic tradition with prayer for the departed; lists of names of those to be remembered being placed in the proximity of the altar on which the sacrifice of the mass is offered. " **

The fact that this could be interpreted as a form of mediumship in the classic Pagan and Wiccan tradition seems to have to slipped peoples minds entirely, no thanks in large part to the ongoing, through-out history, efforts of the Roman Catholic church. (Don't even get me started! lol)

Anyway this is really just my way of recognizing the deep, dare I say it, almost filial affection for a woman who has inspired me for many years, ever since she went back to university at the age of thirty-seven, because she wanted so badly to become a nurse, finally graduating in the top 3% of her class, and within a few months, receiving a mark in the 98th percentile range on her RN exams! She has always been there for me when I really needed her and I will never have the words to be able to thank her properly.

I love you, Mom!

Jamie
Pagan Forge

*technically when the 2nd of Nov falls on a Sunday, the Celebration gets moved to the Monday following, but it's generally celebrated on the 2nd.

Lady Liberty's Lost Her Head!

So, I'm watching this show on History Television tonight called "Aftermath:The World After Humans", and there is a scene that struck me as a particularly biting bit of political wit in this day and age.

Over 150 years after the sudden, (and unexplained, but since the why is not relevant to the premise of the show, it doesn't really matter anyway), the Elements are beginning to take their toll on the structures of our lives. We have already seen the consequences of 150 plus years of neglect on the Eiffel Tower as it toppled from the middle as a result of rust. Now we are in New York. The Statue of Liberty has already lost her Torch arm as rain has penetrated her copper cladding. That combined with the natural humidity of the Harbor, has caused the statue's iron skeleton to collapse. We are then witness to the sight of the statue's head falling forward to land in the forest at her feet.

Thus, "Lady Liberty has Lost Her Head!" Please tell me I don't have to explain the significance of this in light of the current political climate, both here and in the U.S.

I'm working on a post about my recent trip to Halifax Thanksgiving weekend, to be a part of "MAC Leather X: A Celebration of Leather" I got to visit with friends I haven't seen in a long time. I got a chance, (well several really, but who's counting! ;p ), to visit a terrific new bar in Hali, the new "Menz Bar" on Gottingen street, did a little shopping - bought a new memory card for my camera- Sony Store in MicMac Mall, great price - took lots of pics, too. I am currently cropping and clearing up pictures from the Sunday night Celebration proper. Took over 80 pics that night and it'll take time to get the done. Then I'll be posting them along with whatever info I have, or can remember.

Until then, this will have to do.

With Light,

Pagan

Fun Times

It's funny sometimes the shit you discover when you get home late at night after work. . .
I worked a 5pm to 2am shift tonight and when I finally walked in the door at around 2:45 am, I found a group of people in my living room. Now you have to understand that these were all ( with 1 exception, and him I wouldn't mind getting to know a little more. . .shall we say. . .intimately) people I knew, since my room mate brought them home after the latest homo hop at Mavor's. But all the same it was a bit of a shock. Not an unpleasant shock mind you. Just a shock. I probably should have expected this after all, since I was on of the few people who wasn't going to the event. And since it was already known that I didn't have to get up early the next morning, well. . .

So as you might expect it didn't take all that long for things do develop to the point where some one was asking about the rumours they had heard about something called "Strip Twister". Well one thing led to another (they always do), and before you could say "Fuck me in the ass", there were 4 four people trying to figure out how to get themselves into the most interesting positions imaginable. And there are pictures. Trust me when I finally get them, I will see about posting the ones that are SFW. In fact even as I wriy=te this the positions are getting more interesting and the amount of visible flesh in increasing exponentially.

More later. When I know what the end game will be.

On Being Busy

It's funny how we are always so busy these days. We're too busy to cook a proper meal for our families, so we stop at fast food joints, or we shop at the big box stores where we can buy ready to heat meals that give us time to call the office or check our email while we wait. We are to busy to pay attention when we drive because we have to be on the phone all the time. Or we have to put on our makeup. Or we have to finish eating on the way back to work. What I wonder is where we think we're getting all this time? Or what we would do with it if we had it.

I find this funny because I have been wondering where I'm going to get the time to start working on a coat I want to make. And I don't just want to make a coat, but I want to TAILOR a coat. That means a lot more work. I have been reviewing my tailoring techniques lately and there is quite a bit I haven't done in a while. Especially the hand sewing. But I want it to be special. It has to work for both cosplay and for general wear. And so on. . .

Now the thing that makes this funny is the fact that I got up this morning and watched a little TV while I had coffee. Then I re-arranged a room, did a couple of loads of laundry, went to the mall and picked up a notebook, some sharpie markers, and a roll of brown paper for patterns. After that, I went for smokes, got some groceries, stopped by a friends place and still managed to be home by 3:45pm. My point is there really are enough hours in the day if you need there to be. We have become so obsessed with time that we don't realize we have the time. Imagine if you had to get along for a week without your cell phone, or computer, or Tivo, or whatever. Ask most people on the street and they'd tell you that there is no way they could survive a day let alone a week. And I have to wonder how these same people got along before everybody had a cell phone or a computer.

I suppose that this post is really about getting along with what you have and finding a way to be happy with it and not worrying (there's that word again) that you're missing out on something. If you are the universe will find a way to let you know. And it will usually find a way for you to get it.

What the world really needs is for people to slow down and take the time to stop and smell the roses.

Cause they really do smell nice. . .

Be well.

Pagan Forge

On Moving

Moving is a pain in the ass. There I've said it. Everyone I know hates doing it. We groan and moan about getting everything packed, fitting our stuff (see George Carlin,) into boxes that never seem to be the right size, getting them to stay closed after we over fill them, trying to find enough small ones for the heavy books we insist on carrying with us even if it's been 10 years since we've read them, and. . .the list goes on. And what's even worse is the purge; how do you sit down and look at the contents of your life and decide what you don't need anymore? And what do you do about it? Books and clothes, well that's easy. If you didn't even remember that you owned it, or if it's been 2 or more years since you've worn it, get rid of it. Donate books to a yard, (or better yet - library) sale. Clothes can go to your local charity drop off. Now bear in mind that these procedures are easier for some that for others. Myself, I love to read and I love to sew, so I have trouble getting rid of books, because I might reread them, and clothes, because I might decide to remake them into something new. (For the record I haven't actually done this in, well a long time. So off to the charity drop they went.)

Then there's the kitchen (for most people anyway - if you know me you'll understand). Few things are more annoying to pack than dishes, pots, and pans. No matter how well you wrap the dishes, you have worry that they might get scratched or broken. The pots and pans never fit properly into the boxes, even if they are the same boxes they came in. If you have a lot of small appliances then you have to hope you still have the original boxes and packing material. It's always easier to pack smaller boxes in bigger ones because at least they're all the same general shape.

Finally there's the all important question of, "Do I do this myself - with the help of friends of course, or do I hire someone to do all this shit for me?" As much as it can be a pain in the ass to do it yourself, I always choose this option. I'm just not comfortable having a total stranger getting their hands on my shit. And frankly, this amazes me; it's not like I'm afraid of it being stolen by the movers, or like I'm ashamed of my stuff. A few years ago I might have been, but not now. It's just stuff, which means it isn't really all that important. And as for being ashamed, well in the last 5 years or so I've discovered something fundamental about myself - I have no shame. I no longer give a shit what people think the way I used to. So if the movers, or as was the case on my last move 6 weeks ago, the landlord happens to get his hands on my sex toys, well good on him. As long as I get them back, clean, who cares!

So in the end it's really not the Great Big Fucking Deal that we always make it out to be. It's just a pain in the ass. Personally I have no plans to be doing this again for a while (Thanks D). As it is it's probably going to take me another month to get settled, but that's OK, I can deal. The upside is I have a roommate I trust, a great friend right upstairs, & I'm downtown again. Thank Gods!

Be well,

-Jamie

Worry

There's an old Vulcan saying (yes for those who don't know, I am a Trekker, and proud of it):
"Worry is illogical; it saps your strength. Concern, however can prepare one for the unexpected."

I admit, I am a worrier. I always have been. It's a part of my nature. The above lesson is one that has always been a difficult one for me to absorb. I know that worrying doesn't help, but I do it anyway, even when the result is that I feel sick about stuff I can do nothing about. I have learned not to worry about some things, but for the most part I still do when I encounter situations I am unprepared for. As I have stated previously, I don't deal with sudden change very well. I tend to want to run and hide under the covers like I did when I was a little kid who thought there were monsters under the bed. Sometimes I feel as though my brain simply shuts down and I just don't know what to do.

The thing that inspired this post is that tomorrow I have to begin to solo on the phones at work. I know that we have been well trained, that we have everything we need to trouble shoot and problem solve right there in front of us, and if we need to, we can always ask for help from a supervisor or from another agent. But I'm still worried. What if I screw up and say something really stupid to a customer? I know from talking to other agents, some of whom have been there only a few months longer than I have, that this is perfectly natural. Some of them have been there for only 3 or 4 months, but if you listen to them when they're in a call, you'd think they have been doing this for years. So while I know intellectually that I'll be OK, I still have some major nerves about tomorrow. Our trainer told us the other day that she spent most of her first solo day feeling sick to her stomach over having to go it alone, even though she knew she wasn't alone. I have a feeling I'm not going to sleep very well tonight.

But I know that I'll be OK.

Eventually.


Be well,

-J

Heath Ledger R.I.P.

Heath Ledger is dead.

I must admit I was floored when I heard that on the news. He was only 28 years old. Rest in Peace Heath.

The thing I find that bothers me the most about this is not the fact of his death. Everybody dies when their tasks on this Earth are done. It is not for us to decide whether that death is too soon or not. I accepted the fact of my own death a long time ago, and well frankly, I've been dead before.

No, what bothers be the most is the way the media have glommed onto this and are doing what they always do. . .trying to pull a rating. As though that is more important than the fact that a talented young actor has died. Never mind the details. It's nobody's business how he died, or why. But the public has in the last 10 years or so, gotten the idea into it's collective head that they have a Right To Know.

Listen up people: Just because a person is a celebrity in the public eye, does not mean that we the public have a right of any kind to have a look into their private lives, unless they specifically invite us. People like Perez Hilton, who think it's OK to out celebrities, (it's NOT) have to take a serious look at the details of their own lives and ask themselves if they would enjoy the same level of scrutiny on them 24/7.

Now that I've gotten that out of my system, I'm going to bed.

Heath,

Eternal rest grant unto him. May perpetual Light shine upon him.
(Wayist Blessing)

Be Well,

-J

Beginnings

from Dune by Frank Herbert:
"The beginning is a very delicate time"

Somehow that seems appropriate to the start of this year. At the end of the previous one I found myself without a job and having to move out of my apartment suddenly. I'm a Cancer. That means I don't like change, and sudden change is like having my own personal a-bomb going off. I'll admit that at first I was lost. I had no idea what I was going to do. I felt like the world was crumbling around me. I cried a few times, ranted and raged a bit, and still felt no better.

Finally I got my shit together, at what seemed like the last minute, and started to plan out the beginning of my new life. I found new living quarters (the first priority), and then got word that I got the job I wanted.

Now I feel that the world did me a favour. I had to shake myself out of the (very) deep blue funk I had been in for, well longer than I can remember, and I am starting to feel stronger as a result. I am, as a close friend puts it, 'emotionally reconnecting' to the rest of the world and the people in it.

For this, as in all things, I thank the Divine.

Be well,

-J