Hello again, audience! How are you today? I'm pretty swell myself. I've still been feeling useless lately, but I've also had this mysterious streak of thoughtfulness. Twice in the last three days, I've had spontaneous conversations about philosophy and human nature with my soultwin Poncho, and it has been really exciting. That added to being pushed to write another blog has led me to the keyboard where I am now typing this.
I've decided that this blog, as indicated by the title, is going to be about books. I've read two in the last five days or so, which is actually a slow pace for me, but still carnivorous nonetheless. I love to read, and I can usually pick apart books in a single afternoon, as I have done with a couple books I'm about to mention. So, this time around I'm going to talk about some of my favorite books and the authors who made them a reality. First though, I'm going to talk about the books I have been reading lately.
I'm a Star Wars fan, and more specifically a fan of Old Republic events, way before the movies happened. The good old days when the Sith were running rampant trying to overthrow the Jedi and the Republic and rule the galaxy through the Dark Side of the Force. So when Poncho's boyfriend handed me a book titled Darth Bane: Path of Destruction, I couldn't help but be excited. It's about a miner named Des who, through a series of unfortunate circumstances, ends up on the run from Republic soldiers and joins the Sith army as a last resort. Through further circumstances, he ends up being chosen to be a Sith Apprentice at the Academy on Korriban. Now, I don't want to spoil the plot, because my hope is that you will go pick up this book and devour it like I did. But, I want to get this across: Darth Bane is unlike any Sith that has ever existed. He not only tracks down three Sith holocrons from planets across the galaxy and learns ancient secrets forgotten for generations. It was his idea to narrow the Sith order down to only two members at any time; one master and one apprentice. That way, the order couldn't be undermined and weakened by ambitious apprentices teaming up to kill their master. He also does mind blowing things through the Dark Side. Absolutely mind blowing. I read the entire trilogy over the course of two weeks, I think, and it only took that long because I had to wait to get the next book from Poncho's boyfriend. I love those books.
Next up is Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. I have been told repeatedly by various people to read this book, and I got my hands on a copy earlier this year, but I didn't read it till the other day. And I must say, I'm disappointed in myself for not reading it sooner. It's about the third child Andrew, a rare event in this future, in a family of apparent genius children. Andrew and his older siblings are intelligent in a way that people now only see in movies and tv shows. Andrew gets picked to go to Battle School at age 6, younger than anyone before him, to train to be a fleet commander. The humans were attacked by Buggers, an alien species, twice in the past and survived thanks to Mazer Rackham, a genius strategist. Now the humans are preparing for a Third Invasion, and it's up to Ender to be trained and prepared to lead the fleet. Except that he doesn't know he's being conditioned. Everything is done in secret, so that he is not given the opportunity to refuse the plans they have set out for him. Now, i'm a fan of science fiction and space battles and the like, but a book about school has never really appealed to me. It even took me till I was 15 or so to touch Harry Potter because it never really sounded that good. But this is more than just a book about starfleet academy or whatever. It's a story about a boy being shaped and molded by events, a boy who is a better strategist and commander at age 8 than most adults are, a boy who is destined to save the world from an insurmountable enemy fleet and become a legend. It's fantastic beyond anything I can describe.
Now, onto my favorites. First off is Stephen King, and just about anything he has ever written. I was introduced to him when I borrowed The Gunslinger off my dad's bookshelf. It's the first in Stephen King's longest and biggest project, The Dark Tower series. It's a 7 book series, but unlike Harry Potter, this one is targeted to a more mature audience. It's a dark fantasy fairy tale about a man named Roland Deschain, the last Gunslinger, in search of his nemesis, the ever mysterious Man in Black. This is one of the books I read in a single evening. From the first sentence, Stephen King kidnaps you to a world that has 'moved on', decaying from old age and the efforts of someone trying to bring about the end of the universe as we know it by destroying the fabled Dark Tower that lies at the center of everything. Over thirty years and seven books, King defies all storytelling that has come before him and completely blows away every other fantasy series I have ever read. And the end of the seventh book, The Dark Tower, will FOREVER be my favorite ending to a book or series, though The Dream of Perpetual Motion comes very close.
Now, The Dark Tower series is not the only King i'm a fan of. One of the conversations with Poncho was about Needful Things, another book by King that explores humanity and the idea that everyone will sell their soul if given the right price. I've also read The Eyes of the Dragon, 'Salem's Lot, Pet Sematary, Dreamcatcher, Nightmares and Dreamscapes, Skeleton Crew, and i'm currently working on Everything's Eventual. The thing I love about King is his mastery of his genre. He knows what scares people, what's creepy, what haunts your dreams and nightmares, and he knows how to bring those things to life with words. Not only do you fall in love with his writing, you eventually grow to love the man himself, through the little bits of himself he leaves in introductions and afterwords. And the short story collections are even better, because he often tells where he got the idea for each of his stories and the strange or weird tales behind their publishing. I've barely scratched the surface of his 40+ novels, but I intend to continue reading until I catch up.
This is the part where I go into obsessive fan mode and talk about my very favorite book, The Dream of Perpetual Motion by Dexter Palmer. I mentioned it before, but now I get to really talk about it and how much I love it, rather than just praising it and giving you a link to buy it. Harold Winslow is locked aboard the good ship chrysalis, powered by a perpetual motion machine built by Prospero Taligent, the mechanical wizard and father of Miranda Taligent, the girl whose face has haunted Harold's dreams for most of his life and whose voice now haunts the metal halls of the Chrysalis. Harold recounts the tale of how he came to be trapped aboard the zeppelin and his tragic history with Miranda and Prospero.
The book is set in a steampunk world where Prospero has invented all sorts of wonders and the sound of machines is never far off. It's heavily based on the plot of Shakespeare's Tempest, and I highly recommend it to anyone who liked the original, but it's not just a cheap copy. Palmer reinvents the story and brings it to a whole new universe, while adding his own underlying themes. There's something haunting about the parallels we can draw between Harold's strange world and our own, and the slow decay of everything that once meant something to people. Not only does reading this book have the side effect of understanding better the depression of old people when confronted with this newfangled technology and the changing of times, but the ending literally makes me giggle with excitement every single time. I highly recommend reading and re-reading this book until you can't help but bring it up every single time someone is talking about books or Shakespeare or steampunk or anything at all. You just have to talk about this book once you've read it. I made Poncho read it so that I could rant about how much I loved it to her.
That's all for now, but I'll surely have more installments about books in the future, because I love them way too much to not rant about them every once in a while. In review, Poncho is my soultwin, she is a female, and she has a boyfriend; my girlfriend made me write this blog and now i'm kind of happy because I have a lighter topic to return to and be excited about on occasion; Darth Bane is the greatest Sith ever and his books ruined the rest of the Star Wars books about normal characters or Jedi for me; Ender is a super genius destined to save the human race and his book made me double take at the climax; Stephen King's Dark Tower series makes me an inordinately happy person, and is soooo worth reading despite being impossibly long; and Dexter Palmer's very first novel made a lifetime fan out of me at the drop of a hat. I think that I may have gotten something done today.
So! Until next time, ambiguous audience, I order you to run down to your local bookstore and buy a hard copy of one of these books and read it and then tell me what you think. I'll have to rant about hard copy versus eBook another day...
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Corruption vs Discipline; A Personal Aim
Hello again, ever-listening audience. I'm actually going to talk about things this blog! Doesn't that make you excited? It probably shouldn't, though. Because then if it's not that awesome, you'll be let down. I think it was a wise bird with an old soul who once told me that she was a cynic "because, if you expect everything to suck, you won't be disappointed when it does, and it'll be a pleasant surprise when it doesn't." I'd like you all to adapt that attitude about my blogs, at least to just humor me. That way, if I'm terrible, you can say you saw it coming, and if i'm not, you can be surprised and pleased that I exceeded expectations. Win-win.
Anyhow, I've been doing some thinking about myself and where I am in life and I realize that I have become mind numbingly lazy. I graduated from high school in May of 2010 and have done a whole lot of nothing since. I've been half-attempting to get a job, but not putting in near as much effort as I probably should, because let's be honest. As much as people say they want a job, no one really does. Everyone wants to live for free. I'm one of a very strange breed who needs to be busy to feel important. But even in that, it sucks that my ability to eat and have a roof over my head depends on my continuing to be subservient to a capitalist society. So I've been doing the bare minimum so I can say that I've been trying without feeling guilty, all the while blaming the bad economy and job market for my inability to get a job.
So here I am, at the start of the second school year since my graduation, still living in my parent's basement and applying for jobs on the occasions where my parents and friends pester me to the point that I want them to leave me alone and stop making me feel guilty about not trying harder. It's hard to ignore the fact that i'm mad at myself for being lazy when everyone keeps bringing it up ALL THE TIME. And lately, I have been really angry at myself because i'm letting people down by not doing what I know I should be doing and acting like a grown-up.
It comes down to something I decided a few years ago, an axiom that held at the center of my life for a while, but that I kind of let go once I graduated. It's the relation between corruption and discipline. Now, that may seem like an arbitrary pair of words to throw together, and it kind of is, but they portray the meaning I want AND have the exact same number of letters at the same time. I was trying to create an ambigram, that thing where a picture says one word when you look at it right side up and something different when viewed upside down. And I'm not very skilled in art, so I needed a pair of words with the same number of letters to make it easy on me. I also wanted this ambigram to be something meaningful so I would be able to have it as a tattoo someday. So I picked Corruption and Discipline. Now let me explain what I mean.
Dictionary.com defines discipline as:
noun
(http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/discipline)
I'm looking at the first, second, and fifth definitions here. Those definitions lend themselves to the idea of acting in a structured manner and sticking to rules to govern one's lifestyle, as in the military. The military has a reputation of having a very strict set of rules in order to teach the troops to live to a higher standard and to maintain a specific lifestyle. Now, corruption:
noun
(http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/corruption)
There's only one definition here that applies, and that's the third one, "perversion of integrity". Integrity is defined by the very same website as:
"adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty."
So corruption refers to warping or compromising one's integrity, or their soundness of character and their moral principles.
The point i'm aiming for here is that discipline is a force that builds you up, that strengthens your character and makes you stronger, and that corruption is a force that tears down that character and strength that discipline builds. How does this apply to me?
I've gotten lazy. I've been being stupid and ignoring my feelings of guilt about not taking action, and pretty much shirking the responsibility that belongs to me. I've allowed myself to become corrupted, and it has made me lazy and angry, and I've been lashing out at people that matter to me. I've become the kind of person I was becoming when I first came up with the idea of corruption vs discipline. I'm a hypocrite, and, much like Alice, I give myself and others good advice, but rarely ever follow it.
So I have decided to add some discipline back into my life. I'm going to start going to sleep and waking on a regular schedule. I'm going to start eating regularly and with some sort of healthy diet. I'm going to start working out and get back in shape. I'm going to start living a structured life again, so I can get a handle on the ridiculous and emotional person I have become. When you get lazy and stop taking charge, you become wild and out of control and do ridiculous things. But if you stay disciplined, you can control yourself and your emotions and focus your energy. And when you are a focused person, you can do incredible things.
That's all from the Peanut Gallery for now, but I'll be sure to post something less dense and weighty soon. Thanks again for listening, audience, and I hope that you find some discipline and order to help purge the corruption out of your life.
Anyhow, I've been doing some thinking about myself and where I am in life and I realize that I have become mind numbingly lazy. I graduated from high school in May of 2010 and have done a whole lot of nothing since. I've been half-attempting to get a job, but not putting in near as much effort as I probably should, because let's be honest. As much as people say they want a job, no one really does. Everyone wants to live for free. I'm one of a very strange breed who needs to be busy to feel important. But even in that, it sucks that my ability to eat and have a roof over my head depends on my continuing to be subservient to a capitalist society. So I've been doing the bare minimum so I can say that I've been trying without feeling guilty, all the while blaming the bad economy and job market for my inability to get a job.
So here I am, at the start of the second school year since my graduation, still living in my parent's basement and applying for jobs on the occasions where my parents and friends pester me to the point that I want them to leave me alone and stop making me feel guilty about not trying harder. It's hard to ignore the fact that i'm mad at myself for being lazy when everyone keeps bringing it up ALL THE TIME. And lately, I have been really angry at myself because i'm letting people down by not doing what I know I should be doing and acting like a grown-up.
It comes down to something I decided a few years ago, an axiom that held at the center of my life for a while, but that I kind of let go once I graduated. It's the relation between corruption and discipline. Now, that may seem like an arbitrary pair of words to throw together, and it kind of is, but they portray the meaning I want AND have the exact same number of letters at the same time. I was trying to create an ambigram, that thing where a picture says one word when you look at it right side up and something different when viewed upside down. And I'm not very skilled in art, so I needed a pair of words with the same number of letters to make it easy on me. I also wanted this ambigram to be something meaningful so I would be able to have it as a tattoo someday. So I picked Corruption and Discipline. Now let me explain what I mean.
Dictionary.com defines discipline as:
noun
1.
training to act in accordance with rules; drill: military discipline.
2.
activity, exercise, or a regimen that develops or improves a skill; training: A daily stint at the typewriter is excellent discipline for a writer.
3.
punishment inflicted by way of correction and training.
4.
the rigor or training effect of experience, adversity, etc.: the harsh discipline of poverty.
5.
behavior in accord with rules of conduct; behavior and ordermaintained by training and control: good discipline in an army.
(http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/discipline)
I'm looking at the first, second, and fifth definitions here. Those definitions lend themselves to the idea of acting in a structured manner and sticking to rules to govern one's lifestyle, as in the military. The military has a reputation of having a very strict set of rules in order to teach the troops to live to a higher standard and to maintain a specific lifestyle. Now, corruption:
noun
2.
moral perversion; depravity.
3.
perversion of integrity.
(http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/corruption)
There's only one definition here that applies, and that's the third one, "perversion of integrity". Integrity is defined by the very same website as:
"adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty."
So corruption refers to warping or compromising one's integrity, or their soundness of character and their moral principles.
The point i'm aiming for here is that discipline is a force that builds you up, that strengthens your character and makes you stronger, and that corruption is a force that tears down that character and strength that discipline builds. How does this apply to me?
I've gotten lazy. I've been being stupid and ignoring my feelings of guilt about not taking action, and pretty much shirking the responsibility that belongs to me. I've allowed myself to become corrupted, and it has made me lazy and angry, and I've been lashing out at people that matter to me. I've become the kind of person I was becoming when I first came up with the idea of corruption vs discipline. I'm a hypocrite, and, much like Alice, I give myself and others good advice, but rarely ever follow it.
So I have decided to add some discipline back into my life. I'm going to start going to sleep and waking on a regular schedule. I'm going to start eating regularly and with some sort of healthy diet. I'm going to start working out and get back in shape. I'm going to start living a structured life again, so I can get a handle on the ridiculous and emotional person I have become. When you get lazy and stop taking charge, you become wild and out of control and do ridiculous things. But if you stay disciplined, you can control yourself and your emotions and focus your energy. And when you are a focused person, you can do incredible things.
That's all from the Peanut Gallery for now, but I'll be sure to post something less dense and weighty soon. Thanks again for listening, audience, and I hope that you find some discipline and order to help purge the corruption out of your life.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Greetings, humans!
Hello! Regardless of how you came across this page, I welcome you to the Peanut Gallery. I am Mister Ludeman, and I will be your narrator and guide as we delve into the ridiculous trains of thought that pass through my insignificant little head. Strike that. I've always preferred to think that my thoughts aren't carried on trains, but rather zeppelins. Just because trains have a habit of derailing or being robbed. Of course, there is always the Hindenburg to think of. But this is beside the point. I'll start with a bit of information about myself.
tl;dr I write blogs for you to read. :D
I'm 18, a musician, a philosopher, a writer, and reader. I play cello and guitar, having about 6 years of experience in both. I tried piano once upon a time before I decided I was useless at it and gave up. I also sing, though I won't count my own opinion in the consideration of whether or not I'm actually decent at it. I love to think, and sometimes I'm guilty of thinking too much. I'm a fan of metaphysics, the study of reality and what makes everything work. I write, and I tend to believe that i'm good at it. I have a fantasy novel in progress, and plenty of short stories and story ideas sitting stashed away, waiting to have life breathed into them. I love to read, and specifically fantasy or science fiction. Stephen King has a huge section on my bookshelf. Dexter Palmer is my favorite author as of right now, though he only has one novel out, but by god, is it fantastic! The Dream of Perpetual Motion. You must read it. I just finished my third read through a week or two ago.
Now, I will be straight with you. I like to talk. I do it a lot. And you can expect me to type a lot as a result. So expect long posts to be the rule rather than the exception. Also, I tend to be very technical in speech and vocabulary at times, sometimes sounding like a textbook or a technical manual. This is usually cut up with sarcasm, snark, metaphors, and off-the-wall descriptions or details, so I hope the amusing parts are enough to keep you reading.
If you made it this far, I congratulate you for not being bored to death by this point. I hope you choose to continue reading my blog in the future. I'll cover subjects across the range of my interests; sometimes serious, sometimes silly; sometimes ranting, other times well planned out and researched. And as much as I love to read my own thoughts over and over, I'd much rather hear what all of you, the vague, ambiguous, ever listening audience, has to say. So please, tell me i'm wrong. Tell me i'm an idiot. Tell me to shut up. But make sure you use complete sentences, good grammar, and references. I look forward to hearing from you.
tl;dr I write blogs for you to read. :D
I'm 18, a musician, a philosopher, a writer, and reader. I play cello and guitar, having about 6 years of experience in both. I tried piano once upon a time before I decided I was useless at it and gave up. I also sing, though I won't count my own opinion in the consideration of whether or not I'm actually decent at it. I love to think, and sometimes I'm guilty of thinking too much. I'm a fan of metaphysics, the study of reality and what makes everything work. I write, and I tend to believe that i'm good at it. I have a fantasy novel in progress, and plenty of short stories and story ideas sitting stashed away, waiting to have life breathed into them. I love to read, and specifically fantasy or science fiction. Stephen King has a huge section on my bookshelf. Dexter Palmer is my favorite author as of right now, though he only has one novel out, but by god, is it fantastic! The Dream of Perpetual Motion. You must read it. I just finished my third read through a week or two ago.
Now, I will be straight with you. I like to talk. I do it a lot. And you can expect me to type a lot as a result. So expect long posts to be the rule rather than the exception. Also, I tend to be very technical in speech and vocabulary at times, sometimes sounding like a textbook or a technical manual. This is usually cut up with sarcasm, snark, metaphors, and off-the-wall descriptions or details, so I hope the amusing parts are enough to keep you reading.
If you made it this far, I congratulate you for not being bored to death by this point. I hope you choose to continue reading my blog in the future. I'll cover subjects across the range of my interests; sometimes serious, sometimes silly; sometimes ranting, other times well planned out and researched. And as much as I love to read my own thoughts over and over, I'd much rather hear what all of you, the vague, ambiguous, ever listening audience, has to say. So please, tell me i'm wrong. Tell me i'm an idiot. Tell me to shut up. But make sure you use complete sentences, good grammar, and references. I look forward to hearing from you.
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