Random thoughts

I couldn't get any bleeding rest on the last day of Outreach Week, so here's a blog. Sorry, for the stream of consciousness style. So, life's all about identity right? We wear tons of different caps. I'm a Christian first and foremost, saved by grace through faith. Going through trials, like losing my Grandpa, my dad's affairs, and switching schools, have really solidified this faith.

Another identity I wear is geek or nerd or otaku. OK, scratch that last one. I'm not that much into anime. (Do have a couple shows like Blood+ and Gun X on my Netflix Instant Queue though and enjoyed the Wolverine Anime and the random, yet hilarious comedic stylings of Bobboobo or however you spell his name). For example, I would rather have a 12 hour LOTR marathon in my dorm room with a small, select group of people than go out to the beach with a BUNCH of people, like two whole dorms combined. Hobbits and pizza> sand, surf, loud Jesus pop . This is why a RiffTrax Thor/ Super Smash Bros. party appeals to me more than an all night kegger. Maybe, the kegger would be cool if Felicia Day, Joss Whedon, Brian Michael Bendis, and an undead  Steve Jobs were there...

Quick follow up: You know you're a geek if you say something completely random on the spot, and people take it as canon. Take Harry Potter for example. A dude at a post-Outreach Week dinner plucked out three of my dainty ginger hairs. After doing that, I said, "If you mix those hairs with eye of newt and toad broth, you can become invisible." The norms bought it hook line and sinker even though I basically ad-libbed my quip off Macbeth. (Good old Will Shakes)

But how do I mix my faith, geekdom, love for more highbrow culture (mythology, history, literature, dabblings in philosophy), and identity as a citizen of a polis (United States) into one cohesive brew? Right now, I have no idea. Faith, geekdom, and academia are easy. As long as glorify God through my passion for comics, film, gaming, TV, fandom etc. and thirst for knowledge, everything works out in the end. (I really think there were be scholars in Heaven...) However, being a citizen is different. I like to stay reasonably politically informed through BBC, Huffington Post etc, but I think I'm falling into the same partisan trap that I point out in other people.

Despite my heart to help the poor in society through homeless ministries in my college, I feel distracted by a need for identity. I know I'm a Christian, but at the Christian college I go to, my debates aren't about the big stuff (was Jesus God?, is the Bible inerrant, does the gospel really save?), but about the small stuff (Old Earth vs. Young Earth, can a Democrat be a Christian (shoot me) ). I haven't even mentioned that I think that Hell is an emotional state after death, not a literal hot pit. How can fire and complete darkness coexist, literally and logically speaking?

But, despite my struggles, I've decided to weather the small storms and carry on. I really love the diverse ethnic environment at my college, especially coming from WASP-y Roanoke, Virginia. Hopefully, I can build some strong relationships with the professors in my department. Extremely pumped to hang out with Dr. Horner next Friday, which could have been Wednesday if it wasn't for my general ed Math mandatory money lecture.

That comes to my final rant. Money. Money really ticks me off because you can't live with it or live without it. Money can help you satisfy your basic needs (food and water) and complex wants ($40 philosophy books, weekly comic book run), but it can also lead men and women to sell their souls to profit. It would be cool if the ideal of pure socialism could actually work, and people didn't care about how much private property they had and their salary size and concentrated on being creative and improving culture and civilization, but that will never happen until Heaven or the millennial kingdom, depending on your eschatological view which I don't have currently. Sorry, back up preacher guy at PCB who tried to sell me on pre-millenialism. I must study Revelation personally and try not to hold dogmatic views on that book like a guy named Calvin who didn't write a commentary on it and didn't let his preachers preach on it. Since I moved to CA, I literally have heard three sermons on the Book of Revelation, probably more than in my entire life time.

So, really sorry about this mostly incoherent post about money, identity, faith, school, being a geek, politics etc., and I'll leave you with this quote from Plato. (whose theory of Forms does really float my boat, but the boat is beginning to sink)

"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle."

Nota bene: Plato probably didn't say this, but he is a boss...

Summer Blog Ideas and Philosophy

Because of *cough* high school, I've been unable to post any blog posts this past month. However, one of my goals this summer is to put in fresh, varied content daily. So I've made a system of different types of articles that will be posted this summer and hopefully into posterity.

Quotable- I will post a quote from a famous person, book, movie, TV show, or video game and analyze it. The meaning will be expounded but also placed in context for its larger meaning to society at large. Feel free to disagree or flame, but no trolling please ;)

Archive- I will go into the Microsoft Word database on my computer or old notebooks, journals etc. and publish a paper, story, or poem. This is mostly a selfish endeavor because I need RAM for college, but you might enjoy some of my older stuff...

TV Themes- This summer, my goal is to watch Dr. Who (new series), Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Guild,  and Star Trek: The New Generation from start to finish. These posts will consist of my reflections and reactions to these shows and characters and will be followed by a "season recap" post about the deeper themes in the shows. When I catch up on Dr. Who and Guild, there will be new episode reviews up regularly.

Comic Corner- Because there's no school, I will indulge my love for the "funnies." Books read and analyzed will include Watchmen, The Dark Knight Returns, Chris Claremont's run on Uncanny X-Men and the original Wolverine miniseries by Claremont and Frank Miller. I may also focus in on specific characters' appearances, so if there's a comic series, creator, or character you want on the blog, fire me a comment. The goal of these posts will be to show that comics aren't just for kids and are the mythology for Americans in the 20th/21st century.

Book Nook (Kindle)- Another type of blog post will be about the book(s) I'm currently reading. When it comes to literature, I have major attention span issues and bounce around from books of different genres too much. I'm currently finishing a Civil War non-fiction book and will kick off the summer with the quadruple threat of C.S. Lewis' Abolition of Man, Bulfinch's Mythology, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and Tale of Two Cities (for my book club).

These are just some of the many types of content on my blog with cheesy rhyming or alliterative names. Others will include Film Fantasies, Poetry Garden, and various posts on items of personal interest like my trip to...