The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn

I'm not sure I understand why everyone seems to think The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn is such an amazing album. Certainly it is a good album (I mean, after all, it does have "Astonomy Domine" on it), but I don't think it merits the title of the best Pink Floyd album.

Maybe it is just that I don't appreciate the geinus that was Syd Barrett. My take on him is that he was a decent guitarist, lyricist, and vocalist (probably better than Roger Waters in this way), but he is in no way amazing in any of these areas. Perhaps if I was on acid I would be able to properly enjoy his work.

Maybe my taste is so poor that I don't know something good when I come across it (like my taste in food, no doubt), but can you blame me? After all, my years as a teenager have been spent in an era of radios dominated by permiscuous teenie-pop queens, sexually ambiguous emo bands, and Lil Jon.

Chaste Ignatius Women?

In Memory of Innocent Bystander #334

I saw "King Kong" tonight with my sister. I though it was an amazingly well made movie, especially for it's genre which has the tendency to become a waste of time. But something troubled me as I watched the giant gorilla rampage through the streets of New York and later as I left the theater (and if you havn't seen it, don't read this so I don't taint it for you...enjoy it first and then I'll ruin it for you later). Hundreds of people were killed by this gorilla, but we never stop to realize that fact. I felt like the people telling me this story, didn't think that I should care to stop and think about how many people just died. That it's just part of the action. This objection was heightened by the realization at the end of the movie that the story was such that I was on Kong's side, and so had been left little choice but to be sad when Kong died. I'll weep for your monkey, but that same ape just killed a hundred humans...and I wasn't supposed to notice them. I think it's funny how that works. One animal is supposed to bring me to tears, when a hundred humans cannot. It doesn't take that much. A three second shot and ten words would have fixed it.

I think this tends to be a problem in the movies generally, not just with "Kong". I think that the first part of the film (where shipmates are the ones being clobbered left and right) doesn't run into this problem of completely devaluing human life. You notice when each guy bites the dust, and the fact that there are people dying is supposed to make you...not happy. You obviously cant take the time to mourn each character you aren't personally aquinted with, but their deaths are still meant to be noticed by the caracters (and us) as a bad thing. The problem with the last of of the movie, is that your aren't supposed to care about how many people are dying. I do not object to feeling sad about Kong, or even liking him, I just find it to be ironic that we were made to care so much for him and not at all about his victims.

I'm wondering why I botherd to put this up here now. Some of you that have seen movies with me know how I react to problems with the underlying ideas in movies...I talk. So now I have shared with you all at once. *sigh* I'm sorry for ruining it for all of you now. I actually enjoyed it...but that only takes a few words to say. Oh, and pardon my spelling/grammar.

[greg]

so cute. . .

I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts. . uh. . .

this one greg?

Till We Have Faces

I was thinking of having our "Till We Have Faces" discussion on here, (though I am not the expert on online discussion, maybe TA alums can help out with how this is best done). We should wait until Greg returns from China, but I thought I'd get some things moving so we actually get it done and not just talk about it (speaking of that, what about my Christmas present, dance lessons? the next "season" or whatever of classes is probably upon us).

Anyway, let's shoot for discussing it when Greg returns, if there's anyone who still wants to read it, get started, and those who have read it, put some thoughts together on what you think would be good to discuss.

What have your minds been up to?

What have you guys been reading over break? (If anything. It IS break, after all. But I assumed that we're all Torrey students, and can't stay away from bound pages for a serious length of time...)

I thought it would be fun to see what's been on everyone's reading lists. :)

I'll be brave and go first:

Finished:
Emma, by Jane Austen (it's really fun when your whole family gets on an Austen "kick" together. We had a very Austenian Christmas. :)
For Women Only, by Shaunti Feldhahn
Captivating, by John and Stasi Eldredge
The Great Divorce, by C.S. Lewis
Rebecca, by Daphne du Maurier
The Women of Troy, Euripides
Surprised by Joy, by C.S. Lewis
The book of James

Working on:
The Bacchae, by Euripides
The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis (Volume 1), by C.S. Lewis


Wow. I feel as though I read more than that for some reason. :(

Musings....

Okay. *deep sigh*

Do you remember the bubbs thread/discussion we had going a while back on what it means to "be a lady?"

Well, this question/concept has been constantly in the back of my mind this past semseter, not only because of various discussions on the topic, but because it is intensely personal and it is sadly hard to come up with substantial answers.

I started reading Captivating today in earnest, and have been enjoying it. It's been surprisingly illuminating...about things I always knew and felt but never could quite express adequately. It has also been somewhat difficult to read, as the forthrightness of the authors pricks at tender spots.

Anyway, the book revived my thoughts about "ladyship," and this thought struck me: that a "gentleman" might be more easily defined by his actions whereas a "lady" might be defined by her being. I wonder if this makes sense. A man defines himself by outward actions or a sense of proving, whereas a woman's womanliness is more of an internal thing. A gentleman's role seems to be more active, while the lady's role is (surprisingly enough ;) "passive" in the sense that a true lady lets and wants men to be gentlemanly. I think there's more to it that that, but those are the thoughts that penetrated my mind this evening. What do you think? (Please, someone tell me if I'm completely off-base. :)

(I thought I'd write this on the Ignaut blog rather than on BUBBs, because it seemed like a more "bloggish" thing to do, for some reason.)

is this how you do it?

oo la la!!! 

Pictures..

Has anyone figured out how to post pictures here or on one's profile yet?

Hm I just got kicked off the chatter! can someone help me back on?!
This blog is cool, thanks Shami.

ps Wren has been sent a myspace message

pps Happy New Year World!

Another 2006 post ;)

A few of us (the experimental members of Ignaut home) have spent the evening, chatting and blogging. We don't know what the blog is for...yet. But hopefully that will soon become clear.