Tuesday, July 31, 2007 | by nathan

282 - M.

The bright red hair, the unforgettable wardrobe, the bright eyes. She was the best GSSA adviser we could’ve had because she’s exactly the type we flocked to.

Monday, July 30, 2007 | by nathan

A Challenge: Who’s In?

I decided I want to form a team to walk in the Oklahoma City AIDS walk. I’ll be the team captain, but I need some people to walk with me. We’ll raise donations, have fun on a beautiful autumn day and do some good. Who’s in?

Monday, July 30, 2007 | by nathan

jot

So, about two weeks ago Brian turned me on to Twitter . Does anybody else have a one of these? I held off as long as I could after Brian showed me, but then last week I signed up, and it’s kinda fun. I’m using it as the sort of cyber-equivalent of the index cards I try to carry around with me as much as possible, to jot down ideas or thoughts so I don’t forget them or generally just write pithy little thoughts that don’t really belong on a blog or in my handwritten journal. To be fair, I was going to delete my MySpace account when I did this, but then I got roped into helping with the reunion, and it turns out social networking sites are the new wave of the "didn’t get enough of high school the first time around" circuit.

So, if you like you can follow along. It’s actually kinda fun.

Monday, July 30, 2007 | by nathan

The Secret by Rhonda Byrne

So, as part of my books project, I just finished The Secret on audiobook. I listen to audiobooks and podcasts mostly at the gym and before bed, and I have to say, if you’re going to listen to a self-help audiobook, the gym is certainly a fascinating place to do so.

This book’s been the subject of so much discussion lately that I really couldn’t resist giving it a fair shake. I immediately expected to find the whole thing moronic at best, but was honestly expecting to whip off the ear buds and give up after a half an hour. After all, I really don’t go in for self-help, or motivation, and the things I’d heard about this book’s philosophical premise made me doubt it from the start.

To be sure, there is some stuff here that might best be described as - God, what’s the word? - insane. "You can create the universe with your thoughts!" No, pretty much not. That our brains have some kind of physical influence over the world of their own accord is in opposition to almost every good bit of philosophy and theology I’ve ever read, and since I have a religion and philosophy DEGREE, I can say with confidence that I’ve read quite a bit.

However. I didn’t rip out the ear buds after an hour. I got all the way through it, because there was some stuff here - once you cut through the New Agey mythology of the whole thing - that I thought has the potential to be very valuable. I think it is fair to say that we take our thought lives for granted a lot of the time, and we fail to realize that if we expect bad things to happen, our lives will seem like nothing but a succession of bad things. I think there is a lot to be said about the way we conceptualize our existence; you could have two people, the facts of whose lives are identical as far as background, events, etc., and if one of them is the type to see his life as good, the world and God as safe, and himself as loved, the events of his life will generally seem to work in his favor. If those same events happen to someone who allows anger, bitterness, envy and self-pity to color his worldview, that person will see his life as difficult, even impossible. What I think most people do not realize is that we get to choose this outlook; this is what it means, at least in part, to believe. To have faith. Most people, I think, would see their essential disposition as something that’s out of their hands.

But here’s the thing about The Secret. It’s not a secret. Other than that little tidbit above, I found it to be exactly the same as every bit of Prosperity Gospel I’ve
ever read or heard. Throughout the whole book, in fact, I thought you could probably take the words "The Universe" (as in, "the Universe is a kind, gentle, and loving place; the Universe wants you to have that which your heart desires!") and replace them with "God," and the words "The Secret" ("The Secret is the way for you to become what you’ve always wanted to be, to have the life you desire!") and replace them with "The Gospel."

Also, I have to talk a minute about the idea of "manifesting" things presented here. The idea, again, is that if you ask for something, you can call it to yourself with the power of your mind. (Again - replace "call it to yourself" with "pray it to yourself"). So, if I "manifested" hard enough, I could wake up tomorrow with a $20,000 check in the mailbox and a flat stomach. Um - except aren’t we rewarded more by the fact that we worked hard to get the things we have, that the journey is as much reward as the destination? Once again - if you remove the mythology here there isn’t a bad point - focus and determination are important in achieving goals. But, I promise you that this book isn’t racing off the shelves because people need to be reminded of the importance of focus and determination. It’s racing off the shelves because people want to rub a magic lamp. (I won’t even mention the fact that she does say that people who experience hardship and pain brought it on themselves by the power of their thoughts. I think the SNL skit about the guy in Darfur says it all).

My main problem here, of course, is this idea that what we want is what should be most important to us. We should never be critical of our own desires, of course, because if I want something, it’s got to be the best thing for me, right? Think about the whole of human history and tell me if that statement could possibly be correct. 

The Secret’s got a great marketing thing going for it: "Look, we’ve uncovered this thing that has been hidden by historical conspiracy!" But really, it’s no secret that if you focus on your goals, if you think positively, and throw yourself and your energy into attaining what you want, you at least stand a better chance of getting it. There’s not really anything new here, and while I couldn’t write the whole thing off, I can tell you that if you’re even the tiniest bit thoughtful you’ll realize that this "Prosperity Gospel for the Secular World" has some serious philosophical flaws, and no matter how many things you "manifest" into your life, you’re still going to have to work hard and sacrifice to get the things you want. And even if every one of your physical desires come true, your life will amount to very little if you have not spent it loving the people around you, loving the world, and trying to leave a better place behind you than in front. And while, yes, the book does say that, it dares not bemoan the point, reasoning instead that the way to love the world? Is to love yourself, and the way to love yourself? Is to get everything you want, because then - and only then - could you possibly ever do anything good or meaningful.

So, y’know - Ghandi, Mother Theresa, Jesus - chumps, apparently.  

Monday, July 30, 2007 | by nathan

281 - N.

She was that girl at camp who made it fun, with whom I was always giggling in the back of classes at some joke only we understood.

Sunday, July 29, 2007 | by nathan

280 - C.

My favorite study-abroad story ever is how, one night, she got drunk, boarded a train, and by the time she sobered up found herself three countries away.

Saturday, July 28, 2007 | by nathan

they’re just humans with wives and children…

Saw the Flaming Lips in concert last night. An incredible show, as ever, but I received Hard Evidence that I’m getting older, when, in the middle of the crowd in front of the stage, I kept getting really irritated at all the people pushing past me, thinking, "Goddamn teenagers." Even in retrospect I sorta feel this way. People, I’m 5′6" tall. I’m SHORT. If you’re 6′5", please don’t come stand RIGHT in front of me to get a better view of the stage, because you could SEE OVER MY HEAD IF YOU WANTED TO. And also, when you spill your beer in my sock, don’t look at me like I just slapped your puppy.

Ahh, Rock and Roll.

Still and all, it was a fantastic show. I got some great photos that I’ll post later. It didn’t quite measure up to the Zoo show last year, but nothing could, really. Today is Brian’s 10-year high school reunion, so I’ll be spending all afternoon and evening in the sprawling metropolis of Chickasha, wondering - "should I say I’m his ‘boyfriend?’ ‘husband?’ ‘life-partner?’ Or should I just pretend I don’t remember his name, and that being such a hot-ass piece of arm-candy didn’t come with the stipulation that I’d have to remember ANYTHING?"

Saturday, July 28, 2007 | by nathan

279 - K.

Autumn football games, high school romantic ideals, 7-11 cappuccino, and a 1990 gray Ford Tempo – this is what sophomore year was for me, and it was awesome.

Friday, July 27, 2007 | by nathan

The Simpsons Movie

Went to see The Simpsons Movie last night at midnight. Now. I know that it’s fashionable to talk about how the Simpsons isn’t as good a show as it once was, and how Family Guy and South Park have edged it out as the envelope-pushing animated sitcoms, but dammit, give me Homer any day. The thing that is unspoken in all the talk about the Simpsons’ decline is that it’s no longer novelty. The show was controversial and below-the-belt once, but American culture isn’t known for staying with things all that long. Hell, even I’ll agree that after 18 seasons, the show sometimes feels like it’s stretching to find new territory (Grampa and Selma falling in love? What was that?)

Still. The thing about the Simpsons that I love is that when an episode, a quip, or a sight gag is funny, it’s always funny. I laugh just as hard today at "Lisa The Vegetarian" as I did the first time I saw it. I can’t say that for Family Guy, whose cut-away gags and throwaway lines, which, while funny, are meant to surprise, to come out of left field and smack you in the face, and once you see them coming they lose their zing. Let’s not talk about how some of them go on WAY too long (okay, we get it. Peter fights the chicken. Episode running short, guys? What is that?) I can’t usually watch an episode of Family Guy more than once.

South Park is brilliant, but it tends to lose itself in social commentary, some of which doesn’t make sense. (Al Gore as a lisping drama queen proclaiming, "Oh my God, you guys, I’m so cereal" ? What was that?) 

I admit, I did worry, at first, about a Simpsons movie. I was worried they’d fall in to the South Park movie trap, to try to see how much "not-safe-for-TV" stuff they could cram into two hours. I do love the South Park movie, a lot, but the Simpsons is a different show, with a different humor, and it scared me to think they’d go for the cheap stuff.

Don’t get me wrong; there’s a fair bit of racy stuff here, but it’s not overdone, and it’s done well every time. I love that Marge gets the one serious curse word of the whole movie. I love the Austin-Powers-esque scene with naked Bart on the skateboard. Pretty much the whole first half hour is brilliant. Of course not all the peripheral characters get moments to themselves, because at this point there are hundreds of them. Most people get some good throwaway lines, but the family dynamic is center, and the humor is solid.

After 400 episodes and, now, a movie, I really do think this show is strong. Perhaps not as strong as it was, say, in the 1992-1998 era, but strong nonetheless. Despite the occasional controversy, The Simpsons has never been built on the idea that controversy equals humor; it’s just a patently funny show that isn’t novelty anymore. I’m looking forward to as many seasons as the producers are willing to create, and I couldn’t recommend the movie more highly. So, everyone, stop trying to sound cool by bashing the Simpsons and admit that you can do an "excellent" Mr. Burns and can quote Ralph Wiggum for hours. Go see it. 

Friday, July 27, 2007 | by nathan

278 - A.

She’s one of those awesome people that all my friends are friends with, yet we’ve never been close, though not for lack of trying, on my part.