A Response Addressed to Ghosts

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Today marks the 200th birthday of Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin.

I know this for two reasons. The first, and more mundane of the two is because most of the major online news publications have articles on one or both personages. Darwin in particular has been getting a lot of press lately in various circles as the frenzied debate over Intelligent Design continues, most notably in the wake of the recent Ben Stein documentary EXPELLED.

The second, and more bizarre reason, was the result of my coffee purchase at the local Barnes & Noble. For the record, let it be known that my order was a Grande House Coffee, with room left in the cup for some milk. I paid my $1.80 (thank you Discount Card) and was turning to leave when the cashier called out:

"Happy 200th Anniversary of Lincoln and Darwin's Birthday!"

I kid you not.

Now, none of this has to do with my rant. And it's not really even much of a rant, but rather just a declaration of one of my personal beliefs, something to get out there because, for some reason - maybe the amount of exposure the debate's been getting lately or perhaps my own perception of the amount of exposure - I just wanted to put a stake in the ground and formally announce my stance on the whole debate. You know, just in case this type of thing is needed later during my political campaign.

  1. I 100% absolutely and unequivocally without questions believe in the theory of Evolution.
  2. I also happen to absolutely and without question believe in God.
  3. I fail to see any conflict or contradiction in simultaneously holding these two beliefs.

I am good friends with both devout Christians and devout Atheists (as well as many other people of various faiths and/or beliefs, but listing those isn't pertinent to the rant at hand). I am also acquainted, in some form or another, with people on either side who have argued to me that it makes no sense that I could entertain both beliefs in my head; surely I must lean one way or the other.

For those who have argued with my concerning this belief on both sides, allow me to respond you, succinctly and with some measure of finality:

Sorry. I don't.

Those who have argued on evolution's side connect my belief in God with a belief in everything written down or ascribed to in Catholic doctrine (most likely because I was raised Catholic and still belong to a Catholic Church). Those who argue on the other side have said that my belief in evolution negates whatever I think I may believe with regards to my faith. In other words, I'm automatically damned by virtue of my belief in evolution.

Thanks, but no thanks.  And the fact that you are unable to understand that not only am I capable of holding two seemingly disparate beliefs in my worldview perhaps says more about you than me.

Whew.  Thanks for letting me get that off my chest. You've been great.

Good night, and remember to tip your waitress.

In Lieu of a Real Post

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There are definitely things to write about, the execution of which involves more sleep and preparation than I have at the moment. 

So I'm taking a moment to pimp all the writing I've been doing at Celluloid Moon, which finally seems to be leaning in favor of the Blogspot site (as much as I like the look of the Wordpress site, the lack of any real code flexibility without having to pay is a bit of a drag).  In about a month's time I've posted 15 movie reviews and a small handful of essays - something I was never able to accomplish in my yearly Hail Horror! movie reviews.  Strange...

Anyway, I'm not quite where I want to be yet in terms of how the blog will run, but I can say I having a great time watching movies again.  I have a couple references I've been using to choose what I see, and the stuff coming up after the Oscars will be very different than the "catch-up" films I've been focusing on for the past month.

So if you like movies, come on over and check out what's brewin'.  Comment, suggest, agree or disagree, and in the next few weeks besides a slew of additional reviews and Oscar stuff I'll be introducing a few new features, including some video clips.

In the meantime, please sample my thoughts on Oscar Ennui, or how I intend to fill in the "blind spots" in my movie knowledge.

Or, if you  prefer, check out some of the following movie reviews:

VICKY CHRISTINA BARCELONA / SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE / KUNG FU PANDA / THE MINDSCAPE OF ALAN MOORE / JACK BROOKS: MONSTER SLAYER / DOUBT / LET THE RIGHT ONE IN / SKINWALKERS / MAMMA MIA / THE READER / MY BLOODY VALENTINE 3D / INGLORIOUS BASTARDS / SEMI-PRO / MAN ON WIRE / BREATHLESS

Book #3: Scorsese

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Scorsese at first seems like a compilation of Roger Ebert's various interviews and reviews concerning the man and his work.  And it is that: if you're simply looking for a collection of reviews of Scorsese's movies, from debut WHO'S THAT KNOCKING to last year's SHINE A LIGHT documentary on the Rolling Stones, well, I guess this book will have served its purpose.

But that's not really what this book is about.  What it's really about is a close examination of the best that movies can aspire to, and what goes into achieving that.  It's about the childhood memories that are burned so deeply into our souls that we have have no choice but to leave the faintest of traces on all that we touch.  It's about the relationship of two men over the course of 30 years, and how mutual respect and admiration bring out the best in people. It's a celebration, and for Ebert it's a chance to explore the sparks to see just how it is that they ignite his soul.

But it is also, perhaps first and foremost, about the movies.

The title says it all: this isn't an objective look at Martin Scorsese the Film Director.  This is a very personal, subjective book about how Marty, both in person and in his films, has affected Roger over the course of his professional life.  He constantly places Scorsese as quite possibly the greatest living American Director, and while I happen to completely agree with that statement, the beauty of the book is that it doesn't feel at all like its job is to convince me - it just wants me to know how and why they happen to work for Ebert.  In the process of this, however, you get a thorough examination of each Scorsese's films, including in some instances reconsiderations that act as a counterpoint to Ebert original reviews (all of which are included) as well as a series of longer essays compiled under the heading of "Masterpieces" which are culled from Ebert's excellent Great Movies series.

I've made no secret over the years about Roger Ebert's influence on my movie-watching habits as well as my writing.  What he's done with Scorsese is bring the director's films to life in a way that makes watching them somehow more vibrant, more alive.  Which is something I'll definitely be doing sooner rather than later.

Weekly Geek Challenge #4

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Last week I began taking part in Weekly Geeks, a fun website where each week a new challenge is posted. Everyone is invited to link their answers to the site where you can then go and peruse dozens of different takes on the various questions and challenges. Both Hagelrat and I participated in Challenge #3 over at UN:BOUND, where the topic was about classic literature.

This week's challenge asks us to write about our hobbies outside of reading and blogging (what? there's more to life than huddling in the dark with only the icy glow of the your LCD monitor to warm your lonely soul? Say it ain't so!). Questions followed by answers below:

1) What are you passionate about besides reading and blogging? For example, are you crafty (knitting, woodworking, scrapbooking, model building)? Do you cook? Into gaming (computer or board)? Sports (player or spectator)? Photography? Maybe you like geocaching, rock climbing? Or love attending events like renaissance fairs, concerts? Music? Dancing? You get the idea.

Tell us why you're passionate about it.  Post photos of what you've made or of yourself doing whatever it is you love doing.

Lots of things (or "too many things" as my wife likes to say).  but because photographic evidence is required, I'll focus on one very general passion that has had a life-long impact on me: music.

Since I was 8 years old my life has been supplied with a constant soundtrack born out of love, discovery, and necessity.  It started at my neighbor Michael's house, listening to "Don't You Want Me" by The Human League and "Cars" by Gary Numan on a tape he made off the radio.  Soon after I made my first musical purchases (on vinyl, no less): Freeze Frame by the J. Giles Band and Sports by Huey Lewis & the News.  When my parent began fighting continuously the music changed with it, the shelf on my wall soon displaying Iron Maiden, The Scorpions and Ozzy Osbourne.  Lengthy air guitar solos commenced in front of the mirror by the glow of my ultra-violet light, using either an old tennis racquet or a flag pole to double for a Fender Stratocaster.

High school was a galvanizing time, musically speaking, and the friendships made during that time opened my ears to an entire world of music that was at once both dizzying in its scope and exquisite in its intimacy - physical as well as emotional, as I began to realize that this was something I could not only listen to, but also learn to do.  Suddenly the magic behind Jimi Hendrix's "Purple Haze," Eric Clapton's wah-pedal on "White Room," and even the opening melody line in Miles Davis' "E.S.P" became all the more palpable because I knew the notes, could replicate them and give them my own signature with enough practice.

All of those early experiences mark the beginning of a trend that continued to this day.  Music has that ability to instantly transport me emotionally to a specific time and place, whether I'm listening to it or playing it.  Every time I hear The Cure's "One More Time" I can see myself leaning against the window of the school bus on a rainy morning, thinking about my latest crush.  I can't hear Billie Holiday's "The Very Thought of You" without remembering my wedding day, and the first dance with my wife.  Or the last dance, to Ben Folds' "The Luckiest."

Or even Iron Maiden's "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" without reliving those wonderful moments in my childhood bedroom, black-light on and a tennis racquet in my hand.  I'm sure I was screaming my lungs out, too, and killing my mother's last pebble of sanity in the bargain.

Every moment of my life is scored.  When those moments come together with family, it's pretty wonderful.  So below are two pictures taken right before my brother was set to move across the country.  My wife was (very) pregnant with my son, but that didn't stop us from looking like total dorks and loving every minute of it:

Question #2 is about sites or other references to get people involved with your passion, but really...I'd prefer to just point you to wherever you keep your music library, find something you haven't listened to in forvever, turn it on, and see where it takes you.

Question #3 asks me to link to a few other posters that I found interesting.  So here's a link to my blogging friend Dave over at The Cubicle Reverend, who talks about his recent embracing of CBS' The Big Bang Theory.

After checking through some of the other links, I decided to also link to Strumpet's post for a couple of reasons:

  1. Her name is strumpet.  I sheepishly admit that's what made me click on the link in the first place.
  2. She immediately though of a cause she was passionate about, as opposed to a hobby or interest, which is pretty damned noble and cool.
  3. HOWEVER...that didn't stop her from posting about her passion for World of Warcraft.  That game is permeating every corner of this planet, I tell you!

And that's my contribution to the Weekly Geeks Challenge for this week!