Heaven's Cloud

Growing up in DC I went to a public school where I was one of four white kids in my grade. I never really noticed it until I moved to a school in North Carolina where there really was nothing but a bunch of white kids. Oddly enough I felt more bigotry directed towards me in North Carolina than I ever did in DC. Sure, when I grew up in DC there were the occasional Indian/Asian versus American football games (10 on 4) but that is about as bad as the discrimination got. In North Carolina there was a lot of bigotry directed at me because quite a few people thought I was rich. Now I never really wanted for anything, but my family was far from rich and I always found it odd that it was the kids with nice new cars that were hassling me about my folk?s (apparent) wealth when I drove around in a beat up gray Oldsmobile. If people decide that they want to hate a person, they?ll find an outlet to direct that hatred towards.

[color=indigo]If one or the other asks you out I think you should laugh at them in a sardonic, ?yeah right? kind of way. That is how I would diffuse that type of situation. I mean, no matter how eloquently you reject someone, that person is still going to feel like crap afterward. One of you might as well have some fun with the situation. You are probably better of taking Lore and Baron?s advice though, I am a bit more callous and egotistical than either of those two.[/color]

[color=indigo]Your argument is flawed, because Anarchy could never be the true form of democracy. Anarchy consists of the absence of political authority, where democracy is political authority as voted upon by the masses. Anarchy itself breeds chaos simply because every single person would have to have the exact same goals and principles. Lawlessness cannot breed equality because nature is constantly evolving and changing. Anarchy has the same short comings as communism where there is a significant possibility that not only will a person not be able to do a job that they love but they won?t even be able to attempt to follow their dreams. For Anarchy to work in a social format every person would have to love their social position equally. And that is impossible, it is much better to try and find a feasible political/social belief than to bother pondering one that would never work.[/color]

[color=indigo]I absolutely loath cockroaches, though I am not sure if I am afraid of them. After all, on hard stamp of the foot or a good swat with something heavy sends those little buggers right to hell (or heaven, if they were good little cockroaches and believed in Jesus). As I have written a thousand times before, I am horrified by midgets. I know that isn?t very PC of me, but I don?t really care. Their small disproportioned bodies seem to roughly end at my waist line, putting their head in perfect position to head butt or bite at my genitals. Although I try and keep my distance when one is nearby they are so quick and travel right under my line of sight, which means that they often surprise me. I would give them a quick kick and punt them away like a football, but apparently that is illegal. I also am terrified by clowns. Sure you might think that they paint their faces and do wacky balloon tricks just to entertain children, but I read [b]It[/b] and I know that just isn?t true. I know that clowns are really giant spider like things that aren?t spiders at all but something so horrible that your mind can?t fathom it (probably a midget) so it processes it as a spider. Yeah, I know that clowns are secretly stealing souls everytime they twist a new balloon creature. Obviously the most terrifying thing in the world would be a midget clown. That is why I steer clear of Circuses. [/color]

[color=indigo]I think it is a good idea to pm a new member the forum rules automatically. It would even be nice if there was a way to make them scroll through the rules and click ?I agree? before they could post. At least that way you could say ?hey we told you so [b]and[/b] you agreed to it?. I am not in favor of limiting a new member?s ability to create threads. I understand why this seems appealing, and I actually agree with most of the arguments for it. However, if I couldn?t have created threads when I was a new member (even for such a short period of time and even though I rarely create threads) I doubt I would have stuck around. You tend to be most active in a forum when you first join. Obviously there are pluses and minuses to this, I mean for every one new Drix there are a dozen new InuyashaOMGIamcRaZys. However, why punish the one good Drix? His new threads are what established him as a strong member and presented a new perspective to the boards. We have moderators to weed out the InuyashaOMGIamcRaZys, we shouldn?t have rules to discourage the new members that have fresh ideas and perspectives.[/color]

[color=indigo]I think it is kind of unfair to say that the horror movie industry has gone downhill in recent years. If you really put it in perspective, horror movies haven?t gotten worse; you just no longer are shocked or scared by the same things. I can probably put this into context best with a story. When I was young I spent my summers at Rehoboth Beach in Delaware. It is a nice beach with a gorgeous wooden boardwalk and a sweet permanent carnival. Little shops that sell ice cream and pizza, junk and t-shirts dot the old boardwalk and side streets. One evening, when I was five or six, my grandparents were walking me back to the cottage after a long night of rides at Fun Land. On the way home we passed a t-shirt shop that displayed a black t-shirt with a hideous grinning skull on it. Slithering out of one of the empty eye sockets slimy scaled serpent, venomous fangs poised to strike. At such a young age this t-shirt horrified me enough that I slept with the lights on for three days. Flash forward five or six years, it is 1991 and the biggest rock band in the world is Guns n? Roses. One day my mother?s cousin Lynn, who is super cool, came by my house and had a gift for me. I opened up the wrapping paper, finding my first rock and roll t-shirt inside, featuring the coolest band of the time GNR. I loved the shirt and it was so awesome looking. It was black and depicted a smiling skull with snake twisting through the empty eye socket. Boy was it ever rock n? roll (my grandparents still get a kick out of that story and tell it to everyone they meet). Remember, most of us saw Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street, and Friday the 13th when we were kids. There is no way we are going to be able to capture that same adrenaline rush that we felt back then. We have video games now that are way more violent than those movies, lol. So the slasher genre has now become more or less fan service to the macabre. Psychological thrillers, however, are still alive and kicking. Movies like Rosemary?s Baby, Silence of the Lambs, and the Mothman Prophecies continue the rich (here comes a made up word!) Hitchcockian (heh, I wrote ?cockian?) tradition of stories that just attack your mind. [/color]

[color=indigo]Everyone knows that I am cool, and I think that one of the reasons I am so cool is because I am not afraid to admit to my slightly nerdy habits. I read comic books. Some might say that I collect comic books, but I don?t really collect them. I buy them to read, I buy them to get lost in a bit of fantasy, and I buy them to admire the artwork. When I am done reading the comic I bag it and board it so it is in good condition for the next time I decide to read it. I read; a lot. Now, I am not of the mindset that reading is nerdy and dorky, actually, I think you are weird if you don?t read. I am an excessive reader though, and I often breeze through a novel fairly quickly. Coupled with my odd fondness for various genres of writing I think that this could be classified as a nerdy habit. People collect Pez for me. I have so many Pez candy dispensers it is ridiculous. What is even more ridiculous is the fact that I have never ever bought a Pez dispenser. I think that one day a group of people got together and decided that I should start a Pez collection. Anyway, I have a huge glass apothecary cabinet in my living room over flowing with Pez dispensers. My favorite sport is professional wresting. Yeah, I realize it isn?t a sport, but I really enjoy watching it. And my viewing pleasure is not limited to WWE brand products. I also go out of my way to catch TNA shows and borrow the occasional ROH video. With this much drama who cares that it is fake? So what if I have a closet filled with nothing but record albums, tapes, and CDs? I like my music. I do realize, however, that I obsessively purchase (and steal) music and that this habit definitely borders on nerdy-ness. But at least nerdy old me will always be able to match the perfect song to a moment of my life without ever repeating songs. [/color]

[QUOTE=Lore] "if by soda you mean POP, *****!" Sara[/QUOTE] [COLOR=INDIGO]Y?know, I have lived in Ohio for two years now and I still can?t bring myself to refer to soda as ?pop?. I get hassled about it constantly too. I tend to drink more Coke Classic than anything else, so I guess it is one of my favorites, although I order Cherry Coke or Code Red Mountain Dew instead whenever they are available. I am such a whore for flavored cola. The two soft drinks that I am fondest of are Orangina and Birch Beer. Growing up my Grandparents always had Orangina in their basement refrigerator and I remember it being sooo good. Unfortunately, I haven?t been able to find it in the grocery stores up here. I am not sure how popular Birch Beer is out side of the Maryland, PA, Delaware, Jersey state area. It is kind of like root beer but with a little more of a wintergreen taste (it tastes a lot better than I make it sound) and it is really, really good. I only have it when I am at the beach during the summer or at my Grandparents house. Boy, do my grandparents buy good soda or what?[/COLOR] [quote name='Drix'] Hmm... I like Rum and Coke. It's a really intriguing mix, and you can usually pull it off in the midst of the other "foo-foo" drinks.[/quote] [COLOR=INDIGO]Heh, I am more of a Jack and Coke man myself, but I catch your drift. Mixing cheap whiskey or rum with coke is about as girly a drink as a guy can order without sacrificing his masculinity. [/COLOR]

[color=indigo]I was sixteen or seventeen and absolutely stoned when I first heard Curve. I was visiting a friend at Chapel Hill and her roommate had ?Doppelganger? playing on her radio. High and talkative, the conversation fell upon music. My friend?s roommate asked if I liked the album we were listening to and I guess I said yes (I don?t remember, I was stoned). Then my friend and I went and ate at a local pizza place. When I got back to her dorm room there were two tapes (this was a little before CD burners were common place, yes I know I am old) that said Charlie, DOPPELGANGER (yes, in caps). I thought this was very cool, but you have to realize I was a dorky sixteen/seventeen year old getting a gift from a college girl I barely knew. I mean, the next step had to be gratuitous sex?right? Anyway, I loved ?Doppelganger?, I must have rewound and replayed Fait Accompli a million times, but I lost the tape sometime between finishing high school and starting college. However, I was at a record store a few years back and I saw both ?Cuckoo? and ?Doppelganger? on a special display marked ?Employee?s Favorites? so I purchased both albums. As good as Cuckoo is I think I prefer Doppelganger, if just for nostalgic purposes. Doppelganger was a bit softer and more melodic than Cuckoo, and it tends to remind me of a fun time in my life. If you like Shin?s posting of ?Weekend? I definitely would recommend buying either of the above mentioned CD?s. I also heard that their album, Pubic Fruit, is pretty good as well, though I never purchased it.[/color]

If you are able to get a job that you enjoy doing you should take it. I write this simply because you are far more likely to work hard and excel at a job you enjoy than one you don?t. And the harder you work the more potential you?ll have to make money (well nine times out of ten, anyway). Another reason to snatch a job that you love is time. You?ll learn that you spend a lot of time at work. Very rarely does a professional work a forty hour work week. Since you are spending over half of your waking day at work you can understand how doing something you dislike would grow quite aggravating. Personally I am not terribly fond of my job, despite the fact that I am making a pretty nice salary. Fortunately, one of the perks of my job is that the hours allow me time to go back to school so I can build the skills doing something I enjoy. Sure, I might initially take a pay hit when I jump ship but it is worth it not to wake up every morning hating loathing the fact that I have to go to work.

[quote name='Chabichou][COLOR=#004a6f'] But what will you say to your lord after finding out he exists if he does? Afterall, he punishes those who do not believe in him, as Muslims, Jews and Christians believe. [/COLOR][/quote] [color=indigo]I would say ?screw you, you?re the ineffable one?, and he would laugh because he knew that was what I would say. That sentence more or less sums up my entire thought process on the above trifecta of organized religious beliefs. [/color]

[color=indigo]Every couple of months or so I get bet bit by the anime bug and pull out one or two of my box sets and watch them (after I have dusted them off). Obviously the anime I tend to frequent is Cowboy Bebop. I find that I am able to revisit Cowboy Bebop (or at least various episodes) when I really don?t want to concentrate on what I am watching. I have seen the series so many times that I now just tend to find it a great backdrop for other activities, like re-stringing my guitar. Now, I am not trying to take anything away from this series, it is superb, but it moves well and is interesting enough to watch absentmindedly but not so terribly intricate that it requires all of my attention. Again, in its defense, I do sometimes get caught up in certain scenes and entirely forget what I am doing. [/color] [QUOTE=AzureWolf][FONT=book antiqua][SIZE=2][COLOR=blue] Eva Unit 100, I'm calling you on that: there is, in my opinion, no show that requires more than two viewings to take in everything it has to offer. Something I would like to discuss (is this thread ok for that?) if you disagree.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/QUOTE] [color=indigo]I agree and disagree with you on that point. I agree because any well written, well plotted television show should be understandable when you watch it the first time. The purpose should be evident, unless it is just a terrible show. I disagree (but only slightly) because when you take into account symbolism, social references, and relations to other pieces of existing media the viewer just might not make a connection or have the knowledge required to make that connection (take the Simpsons for example, very few people, if anyone, grasps all of the social innuendos in the series). However, these usually aren?t crucial to the flow of the plot, they are just intriguing aspects woven into the story to give it depth and add to its enjoyment. [/COLOR]

[color=indigo]This RPG came along at an opportune time. As of late I have been really interested in the old Basque culture and their rich navigational traditions (it is now known that Columbus? crew was made up predominantly of Basques) so this RPG will give me an excuse to do a bit of research on their traditions and culture. My character, Bernardo Atxaga (swiped from a famous Basque novelist), was a former sea captian whose ship was sunk by Spanish Galleys under the command of the inquisitor general. Atxaga?s nemesis, the inquisitor DeKereon, was after a mysterious artifact that is in Bernardo?s possession. Obviously I have plans to tie in this artifact and his true relation DeKereon during the RPG. As far as Atxaga goes, he is of average height with jet black hair and a sardonic smile. On land he isn?t much of a threat, although he can handle a rapier. At sea however, he is in his element. His life long experience and knowledge of the ocean would make him and excellent navigator or pilot. [/color]

Sorry, I wrote this at work so there is no html coding. Regardless... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [color=indigo][i]Translated from Eureska[/i] Dearest Juliet, Today I find myself in Tortuga, a most wretched place filled with sin and debauchery. The stench of cheap wine and pork fat crowds the air while whores and thieves, often one in the same, litter the street corners. Rowdy crowds gather in front of inns and taverns listening to unfamiliar music and dancing unfamiliar dances. Earlier a drunkard tried to steal my flask and I was forced to break his arm before he stopped harassing me. Although the people in Tortuga are most vile the island itself must have been crafted by God's own hand. When the Slaver pulled in this morning I could taste the pure brine and touch the friendly wind. And the harbour! Oh how kind it is, with a bottom that?s curve is as graceful as your neck and a blue richer than any I have ever seen. Aye, it is a friendly harbour brimming with halibut and mackerel; I even saw the fins of a whole school porpoise. Perhaps the porpoise will bring a change of luck, heaven knows I need one. By now the Juangoiko is well rotted beneath the sea and DeKereon has reported that both I and the artifact perished. Although my heart aches for my ship and crew, I do take comfort knowing that the artifact is safe. DeKereon, nay the whole Inquisition will pay a ten fold for what they have stolen from me! However, as with so many things in life, there is a ?before?. Before I am able to exact my revenge I must buy a new ship, a fast cutter that can out sail the Spanish galleys. And to buy the ship I need money, lots of money. Fortunately Tortuga is a place of cut throats, rogues, and, most notably, hidden troves of treasure. As with all thing related to the sea, pirating requires good sailors, so I am sure I will have no trouble finding a ship to sail with. Tomorrow I will go looking for providence, tomorrow I will start my journey home. Until I am with you again, take care dearest Juliet and remember that my love is with you in grief and in hope. Forever yours, Bernardo Atxaga [/color]

[color=indigo]When I first picked up the guitar I used to play a ton of folk rock, mainly is because it is fairly easy to play and sing to. I learned to play along with songs by artists like James Taylor, Van Morrison (who is just awesome), Paul Simon, Country Joe and the Fish, and, of course, Cat Stevens. Now I was never a huge fan of any of these artists, but they wrote some catchy songs that everyone knows. Actually, the one thing about Cat Stevens that sticks out in my mind is an SNL sketch. The sketch featured Scott Wolf (Party of Five) and Chris Kattan as two dueling college folk guitarists vying for the affection of three sorority girls. The memorable aspect of the sketch is when Scott Wolf is playing ?Wild World? and cannot play the song?s famous chord run down, so he hums it instead. It stuck with me because I couldn?t that damn chord progression for the longest time so I used to skip it. Boy did it take a lot away from the song![/color]

[color=indigo]It is hard for me to pick a favorite music video because I am not all that interested in the videos themselves. Usually if I like the song I like the video, not vice versa. So here are some videos that I think had quite an impact on the music industry. Thriller- I remember this video scaring me when I was a wee tike, but I really liked it when I was a little older. When I was a little kid (kindergarden or so) Michael Jackson was considered really cool and not at all a spooky bizarre alleged pedophile, and his Thriller video was one of the coolest things anyone had ever seen, definitely the most influential music video ever. November Rain- Guns and Roses was very popular before November Rain came out, however, this huge powerful ballad video, with orchestral background, really launched G&R into mega-stardom. Straight Up- Not a very good video, but Paula Abdul was the first woman I found hot so I thought it was worth mentioning. Cryin?- The video for Cryin? launched Aerosmith?s return as the most popular American rock band of the time. Most of this was due to Alicia Silverstone, the poster girl of the mid nineties. Sweet Dreams- Manson gave us something we really hadn?t seen before, and whether you liked or hated the video you couldn?t deny its unique-ness (which is ironic considering it is a cover song). [/color]

[color=indigo]I just took a test that told me I favor progress in relationship to tradition. I guess that is relationship to progress in relationship to the aspect of progress, tradition in relationship to progress, or tradition in relationship to the aspect of tradition. At least that would be my guess since it didn?t list categories. I don?t know how well these tests could measure, or at least whether that measurement would be an accurate judge of bias. I found a lot of the questions to be like playing the shape game, you often times just get confused at which buttons to push, then again, maybe that is your inner psyche at work. My one objection is that it really doesn?t gauge social interaction. Sure, a person may have an underlying bias towards a person of another ethnicity, but do they act upon that bias? For example, if I am approached by an attractive girl I may be more prone to be talkative and receptive, however, if I was to be approached by a girl that I didn?t find attractive I may have to subconsciously force myself to be talkative and receptive, but by taking that initiative did I not bridge the important part of that gap? It is easy to say most people are inherently bigoted, even though they don?t admit it. However if people are constantly striving to push past their bigotry (which I think they are with every successive generation) then we are moving forward. In other words traditionally I find people to be bigoted, but I think we are slowly progressing on that tradition and every successive generation is approaching a mindset where acceptance won?t be a virtue it will just be. Edit: by the way, I am giving myself a pat on the back for tying my results into my overall statement. Hurray for me. [/color]

[color=indigo]I think it is a good thing that gas prices have remained as high as they are. Eventually OPEC and the Oil Barons in Texas and Venezuela will have shot themselves in the foot. The longer prices remain high the more effort will be placed in finding alternative fuel supplies. After all ?necessity is the mother of invention?. I think that quite a few countries are already launching an initiative by offering tax credits for hybrid vehicles. However, I think it would be beneficial if governments took it one step further and offered tax credits for the use of public transportation. I am glad that the U.S, as well as so many other countries, is pouring public funds into the research of alternative fuels, hopefully a feasible breakthrough will occur sooner rather than later.[/color]

[QUOTE=Dagger IX1]Heh. To my knowledge, this is the first time poor DC has ever been required to pay for inaugural security, using money which was originally intended to continue making it "the most protected city in the world" (although from what I've seen, New York could easily give it a run for its money). If the administration wants to penny-pinch--and I'd be the first to commend them for doing so--I'm sure there are better ways to accomplish that. And frankly I don't see what your other comments have do to with the situation. It's the principle of the thing, really. Besides, being the nation's capital hasn't gotten the District very far... the school system is disastrous, and let's not forget why residents started using those "Taxation without Representation" license plates. ~Dagger~[/QUOTE] [COLOR=INDIGO]It is the first year D.C. has had to foot the bill for the security aspect of a Presidential inauguration, however, every four years they have to foot the bill for some aspect of this event and it is always to the tune of several million dollars. When I lived in DC I remember this being a big deal for the Republicans when Clinton was elected. Think about it this way, the security is necessary so someone has to foot the bill. Now Washington D.C.?s economy skyrockets during the inaugurations, hotels are booked, restraints and bars are swamped, tourist attractions are filled, and shops are packed. Business owners make hundreds of millions of dollars during a time when the tourist season is at its deadest in DC. So why instead of having the whole country footing the bill for the inauguration security, D.C. is asked to pay a small price back for the large boom they received. It is really no different then when a football stadium is built. Part of the money used to build it comes from the tax payers, however, since a stadium creates jobs and revenue in the long run it is an investment. On a side note, D.C.?s problems lie in the fact that they vote inept Mayors into office. Marion Barry was a known drug addict that had a limo service drive him around and the tax payers voted him into two terms of office. [/COLOR]

[center][b]for those who have yet to arrive[/b][/center] [quote][color=indigo]I am not sure how I arrived here, or even where here is. As I watch the colors on the wall swirl and dance, I wonder if I am dreaming. Behind me a person clears his throat gently, and I turn, startled. ?I bet I just answered a few of your questions,? remarks God ineffably.[/color] [/quote]

[QUOTE=Baron Samedi][size=1]HC, do you use Firefox? Because I get that problem too...with Firefox timing out and stuff like that, which is very annoying... Roxie, I am going to have to laugh, because the computer my dad bought last year has an ATI Radeon 9600. Lol. Anyway, would you be able to tell us about the rest of your computer, like what OS and what system specifications you have, RAM, processor etc. and how many mB your video card has?[/size][/QUOTE] [color=indigo]I do use Firefox, and I thought it might just be a glitch with the browser. But I have Firefox loaded on my computer at work and it never times out. Granted my office is run on a T1 and my home computer runs on a standard cable modem.[/color]

[QUOTE=Semjaza Azazel]How about other series then? All I am unwilling to bother with is pretty much just Superman. [/QUOTE] [COLOR=INDIGO]Y'know what DC Comic hero I have really found interesting lately? The Green Arrow. I always thought he was a pretty stupid idea for a hero, but this comic is really well written. I got drawn in during issue #43 due to an HIV story line tie in which was just written so well. The writer, Judd Winick, really found his stride in this magazine (I wasn't a big fan of his work on the Outsiders) and right now Phil Hester is doing a lot of what I call "contemporary comic" (a lot of modern design techniques like X-Statix) art and it really helps the mood of the comic. I also think Brad Metzler does some writing for this book, which is a good thing. You should at least pick it up and give it a read.[/color]

[color=indigo]As many of you know, when it comes to computer related issues I am pretty much in the dark. That is why I am so cautious with what I download and so meticulous when it comes to running virus and spybot scans. Despite my slightly compulsive nature my computer has been acting a bit online. Often times when I type in a website the process will time out or the computer will not be able to locate the site. Usually if I reload the site a few times it will end up loading fine, but it is still initially troubling, especially since my freaking Roadrunner service is so expensive. If you have any tips I would appreciate it.[/color]

[QUOTE=Semjaza Azazel]I honestly pay little to no attention to Batman at this point. I've spent so much time trying to figure out what Vertigo, Image and Marvel comics to pick up that I've mostly ignored the DC universe (I did get Outsiders for about six issues though, plus some Catwoman way back). What would be considered worth picking up at this point? Batman and otherwise? [/QUOTE] [color=indigo]I am sure everyone else will have a different opinion, but I wouldn?t buy any of the Batman comics right now. There are intriguing possibilities for characters but, at this point in the series, I wouldn?t bother to pick it up if I couldn?t read it for free occasionally at Borders. Out of all of them though, plain old Batman is the best. As far as MK: Spiderman, I am really digging the series. [spoiler]I really enjoy the idea that the government manufactured super villains to balance the power of the heroes. It is a good concept and one that I hope will be revisited within the Marvel universe. I also am interested in a) what is going to happen to Peter now that the villains know who he is and b) how the Scorpion is going to function as the new Venom. The authors really left us readers with quite a cliff hanger![/spoiler] [/color]

[quote] We're all in the same boat when we expect Jason to come back as a villain of some sort, right? [/quote] [color=indigo][spoiler]I recently read a Batman comic (I am not sure which) where Hush had Tommy (the Doctor that is supposedly Hush) locked away on a boat. Obviously I think there is a connection to Hush and Jason Todd and if Todd isn?t Hush he is at least backing him. I also read that Titans series with Drake as the cold and calculating Batman. That dark characteristic and ruthlessness wouldn?t be far fetched, especially since Drake could easily have blamed Batman for his father?s death. Until the Tower of Babel incident few other heroes knew that Tim Drake was Robin, Batman compromised that when he let the JLA know who he, Robin, and Oracle were. [/spoiler][/color]