I became acquainted with them in 1986 when MTV re-ran episodes of The Monkees. Even though I am a second generation fan, it still feels like a little piece of my childhood is gone.
Showing posts with label end times. Show all posts
Showing posts with label end times. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Davy Jones - February 29th
I became acquainted with them in 1986 when MTV re-ran episodes of The Monkees. Even though I am a second generation fan, it still feels like a little piece of my childhood is gone.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Earthquake!
I have lived 30 years in Maryland and never has the thought of a possible Earthquake entered my mind. Now this is the second one I've experienced in the space of a year. (Last year's I had just started dating my now ex and it woke me up at 5:00am. I wasn't sure what it was and woke him up, he calmed me down and told me it was probably a dream. I sort of wonder now if I should have taken this as some sort of sign.)
This year's I was sitting at my desk and the lights started flickering. My boss came out of her office and yelled at us to get under our desks - she lived on the West Coast for several years. The nearest thing I can compare it to would be a large truck driving by your house. Or like when you were little and some asshole kid would grab whatever you were standing on and yell "earthquake!" while shaking it. Except, this isn't some asshole kid and you can't step off the ladder, or chair, and find stable ground. It's the whole building and all the ground outside.
FACTS:
5.9 Earthquake
1:51pm est
Center - Virginia
I called my mother to let her know that I was perfectly fine, just a little shaken. And she started talking about the end of times and how we'll know because of earthquakes and rumors of wars, etc. a) there are always rumors of wars. b) I found this handy article that was written after last year's earthquake that confirms east coast quakes are not as infrequent as we would like to believe. Honestly, this could always be the end of the world as we know it. Ten years ago, after the 9/11 attacks, the world as we knew it changed but it wasn't the end of the world.
This is like the Texas Sharp Shooter Fallacy I read about the other day. Where there are completely unrelated events that are being used to support a single idea.
This year's I was sitting at my desk and the lights started flickering. My boss came out of her office and yelled at us to get under our desks - she lived on the West Coast for several years. The nearest thing I can compare it to would be a large truck driving by your house. Or like when you were little and some asshole kid would grab whatever you were standing on and yell "earthquake!" while shaking it. Except, this isn't some asshole kid and you can't step off the ladder, or chair, and find stable ground. It's the whole building and all the ground outside.
FACTS:
5.9 Earthquake
1:51pm est
Center - Virginia
I called my mother to let her know that I was perfectly fine, just a little shaken. And she started talking about the end of times and how we'll know because of earthquakes and rumors of wars, etc. a) there are always rumors of wars. b) I found this handy article that was written after last year's earthquake that confirms east coast quakes are not as infrequent as we would like to believe. Honestly, this could always be the end of the world as we know it. Ten years ago, after the 9/11 attacks, the world as we knew it changed but it wasn't the end of the world.
This is like the Texas Sharp Shooter Fallacy I read about the other day. Where there are completely unrelated events that are being used to support a single idea.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Harry Potter - the Anti-Geek?
I read an interesting article by Amanda Marcotte at Pandagon. It was called "Harry Potter: The Anti-Geek" and it really got me thinking about the books and certain things about them I take for granted. Marcotte argues that the reason these books are so popular is because the characters don't fit into the traditional "band of misfits" trope. Yes, Hermione is Muggle-born and, yes, Ron is from a poor wizarding family but the only characters that hold this against them are Slytherin. (I don't recall any problems with the Gryffindor crowd, at any rate.) There are times when Harry faces problems with his fellow house members but these are related to outside propaganda and political smear campaigns more than anything else.
Which brings me to another one of Marcotte's points: Harry is a jock. She points out that not only is he the star athlete of the Quidditch team, akin to our Quarterback, but also a legit celebrity in the wizarding world. Hence the drama with the propaganda. This is not what you would expect from a "geek" or "nerd." As Marcotte points out, the closest we get to a "nerd," with our Gryffindors, is Hermione with her intense studying and penchant for rules. But even Hermione, as Marcotte says, dated a famous athlete (Krum, anyone?).
It's really Snape, Marcotte argues, that fits the mold of "geek," and I have to agree with her. He is tormented by James when he is younger and continues this animosity with Harry. More concerned with perfecting his potions and not getting the girl, is it any wonder that I was pulling for Snape in the whole is-he-or-isn't-he-a-bad-guy drama before the final book came out. I do tend to love the underdog in stories.
Which is what interested me about Marcotte's article, Harry Potter is not the underdog. He is, in fact, from a prominent wizarding family even though he has to overcome his own personal struggles. But there isn't one point in the novels where Harry isn't the hero. Yes, he's the whiny teenager or the inexperienced wizard, but this is what makes the stories more realistic. What we love about Harry is that, while clearly a superstar, he is still fairly humble and kind of heart.
Which brings me to another one of Marcotte's points: Harry is a jock. She points out that not only is he the star athlete of the Quidditch team, akin to our Quarterback, but also a legit celebrity in the wizarding world. Hence the drama with the propaganda. This is not what you would expect from a "geek" or "nerd." As Marcotte points out, the closest we get to a "nerd," with our Gryffindors, is Hermione with her intense studying and penchant for rules. But even Hermione, as Marcotte says, dated a famous athlete (Krum, anyone?).
It's really Snape, Marcotte argues, that fits the mold of "geek," and I have to agree with her. He is tormented by James when he is younger and continues this animosity with Harry. More concerned with perfecting his potions and not getting the girl, is it any wonder that I was pulling for Snape in the whole is-he-or-isn't-he-a-bad-guy drama before the final book came out. I do tend to love the underdog in stories.
Which is what interested me about Marcotte's article, Harry Potter is not the underdog. He is, in fact, from a prominent wizarding family even though he has to overcome his own personal struggles. But there isn't one point in the novels where Harry isn't the hero. Yes, he's the whiny teenager or the inexperienced wizard, but this is what makes the stories more realistic. What we love about Harry is that, while clearly a superstar, he is still fairly humble and kind of heart.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Harry Potter - The End of an Era
The final installment of the Harry Potter movies will be released this weekend. I am actually quite excited to see this film and then go back and read the books all over again. I don't feel the sense of "I'm so sad it's over" that I felt when I read the last book back in 2007. (Oh, god, has it been that long...) Reading the series and awaiting the new books to come out was an amazing experience and I am glad I was able to be a part of it.
I absolutely refused to read the books when they first came out. I insisted that children's books were for children and the phenomenon was ridiculous. I was wrong. It wasn't until my part-time retail job started selling the Harry Potter knick-knacks that I felt I should read at least one. It was the salesman instinct in me that said I should know what I'm talking about if I'm going to sell it to people. And that was it. I loved them. I talked to my friends about the possible endings, read anything J.K. would tease us with, and enjoyed being part of a community that spanned the globe.
The movies don't have quite the same intrigue that the books had, but they do signal the end of that era. It seems like a lot of things are coming to a close on this, my thirtieth year. And I have to go back to that Tim McGraw song about my next thirty years.
I absolutely refused to read the books when they first came out. I insisted that children's books were for children and the phenomenon was ridiculous. I was wrong. It wasn't until my part-time retail job started selling the Harry Potter knick-knacks that I felt I should read at least one. It was the salesman instinct in me that said I should know what I'm talking about if I'm going to sell it to people. And that was it. I loved them. I talked to my friends about the possible endings, read anything J.K. would tease us with, and enjoyed being part of a community that spanned the globe.
The movies don't have quite the same intrigue that the books had, but they do signal the end of that era. It seems like a lot of things are coming to a close on this, my thirtieth year. And I have to go back to that Tim McGraw song about my next thirty years.
Friday, May 20, 2011
The Day Before...
At the Hallmark dinner the other night, a couple of girls were talking about this impending rapture that is supposed to happen on May 21st. For the most part they were joking, but a couple of them were really concerned. Did I think it was possible, etc. My answer was simply that there is no specific date given in the bible, it is even said that man can't know the day or hour when it will happen, so I wasn't concerned. That the calculations of this man, based on things in the bible, were clearly flawed (from a religious perspective) because Human beings are fundamentally flawed. This seemed to make them feel better and put them at ease, I'm not really sure when I became the voice of wisdom or why they accepted it so readily.
But there is a lot of chatter, from people in my life, about this business and one can't help but think about it. As I've said before, my mother and her sister believe that the end of times are nigh. Granted Aunt C. has taken it to an extreme that involves stocking food and supplies, but my mother has always been my religious knowledge source and it disturbs me that she is thinking something similar to this. Yes, there have been Earthquakes, Famines, and Wars but none any worse than others in our collective history.
Do I think it's possible that at some point in the near future the world, as we know it, will change or come to an "end" giving rise to something new we have not yet begun to imagine, yes. The thing about life is that things are always changing. Could something happen to derail the American government and completely change our current way of life? Anything is possible and we're still a young country. I'm sure the Ancient Romans never thought their way of life would come to an end and yet it did. England enjoyed an expansive existence for a period of time and yet the sun did set. Empires are built and destroyed and yet life remains. It would be arrogant and foolish to think that things will go on forever just as they are. But that doesn't mean it will be a bad change either.
But there is a lot of chatter, from people in my life, about this business and one can't help but think about it. As I've said before, my mother and her sister believe that the end of times are nigh. Granted Aunt C. has taken it to an extreme that involves stocking food and supplies, but my mother has always been my religious knowledge source and it disturbs me that she is thinking something similar to this. Yes, there have been Earthquakes, Famines, and Wars but none any worse than others in our collective history.
Do I think it's possible that at some point in the near future the world, as we know it, will change or come to an "end" giving rise to something new we have not yet begun to imagine, yes. The thing about life is that things are always changing. Could something happen to derail the American government and completely change our current way of life? Anything is possible and we're still a young country. I'm sure the Ancient Romans never thought their way of life would come to an end and yet it did. England enjoyed an expansive existence for a period of time and yet the sun did set. Empires are built and destroyed and yet life remains. It would be arrogant and foolish to think that things will go on forever just as they are. But that doesn't mean it will be a bad change either.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
More on the Earthquake in Japan
All weekend, I've been hearing about the nuclear power plant in Fukushima. It's frightening news, even here in the United States. I did read an interesting blog this morning that put my mind at ease a bit. In the post, Barry Brook gives what he calls a "simple and accurate explanation" of the situation in Fukushima. I would have to agree that it is a simple explanation of how a Nuclear Power Plant works and the design that goes into preventing a meltdown. As for accuracy, I can't judge as I have no background in this. But I've done a little more searching on the interwebs and found several articles that back him up.
The radio, television, and internet media outlets seem to be over-hyping this part of the disaster. Though I understand it is a serious thing and should be reported. I know that it's the trend in news these days to report the sensational, or to report the real news in a sensational manor, so Brook's post was a welcome change. I didn't feel that he talked down to his audience but rather explained things in a calm manner as a parent would to a young adult. His use of images and diagrams were especially helpful as I could see exactly what he was talking about in his explanation. I also appreciate his point that the architecture that went into this power plant lived up to and exceeded its design in the face of an 8.9 earthquake as it was only designed to sustain an 8.2.
My sister wrote a blog about the earthquake in Japan and in it, she discussed the economic impact of this disaster and the recent revolutions around the globe. As I said in an earlier post, my mother and her side of the family have an idea that these are signs of the end of times. My sister goes into an explanation of why this simply isn't the case. Though she is not as technical as Brook's she is equally as comforting for me to read.
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| Example of Brook's Imagesfrom his blog http://bravenewclimate.com/2011/03/13/fukushima-simple-explanation/ |
My sister wrote a blog about the earthquake in Japan and in it, she discussed the economic impact of this disaster and the recent revolutions around the globe. As I said in an earlier post, my mother and her side of the family have an idea that these are signs of the end of times. My sister goes into an explanation of why this simply isn't the case. Though she is not as technical as Brook's she is equally as comforting for me to read.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Earthquake in Japan
If you haven't been living in a cave for the last 24 hours, you are undoubtedly aware of the earthquake that took place off the shore of Japan earlier today. This is the link to the Google Crisis Response Page. And there are some really interesting and moving images on the Huffington Post Website that show before and after shots of the area. A couple of the girls at work today couldn't help but cry when they saw videos of the Tsunami. I don't know anyone there, so I wasn't as emotional about the events but I couldn't help but watch the footage with a bit of morbid awe.
The shear force of nature in this case is amazing. The destruction and death is truly horrible, but I can't get over the size of the waves or how easily it wiped out entire fields and crops. I feel badly for the people in that situation and I can't imagine how frightening it must have been in real life. The after effects will be large and numerous. I don't know how people will eat or where they will live and I am sending every one of my positive thoughts and prayers in their direction. I'll make sure to schedule my regular blood donation with the Red Cross and I'll try and give a little extra out of this coming paycheck to the relief efforts.
But you have to wonder in the game of Man vs. Nature who is ultimately going to win?
The shear force of nature in this case is amazing. The destruction and death is truly horrible, but I can't get over the size of the waves or how easily it wiped out entire fields and crops. I feel badly for the people in that situation and I can't imagine how frightening it must have been in real life. The after effects will be large and numerous. I don't know how people will eat or where they will live and I am sending every one of my positive thoughts and prayers in their direction. I'll make sure to schedule my regular blood donation with the Red Cross and I'll try and give a little extra out of this coming paycheck to the relief efforts.
But you have to wonder in the game of Man vs. Nature who is ultimately going to win?
Friday, March 4, 2011
Nightmare - THE most frightening
Last night, I had the most frightening nightmare I've had in a long time. Basically, it's the end of the world. People are dead or dying and the only solution is to take a cyanide pill. Because whatever is going to happen is far worse than death, etc. I was with my family (my dad, my step-dad, my mom, my sister, my aunt, and my cousins) and they were all deciding whether to commit suicide or not. In the dream, I asked my family what would come after and no one knew. I felt that I absolutely could not go through with it, but one by one they all made the decision to die. When my sister decided to take the pill it was more than I could stand. I pulled her into a hug and told her that I wouldn't live in a world where she wasn't. That I couldn't get on without her and then I swallowed the pill myself. I watched everyone slowly close their eyes and go to sleep. I tried to wake them and couldn't. I felt my own eyes growing heavy and only darkness was there when I let them close, so I fought it. The decision had already been made and there was nothing I could do to change it, but I was so afraid of what would happen after. Danielle was the last to close her eyes and I was left alone, waiting for whatever would happen. When I finally closed my eyes there was only darkness; I could feel myself slipping away to nothing and I was terrified. I woke up to reality as soon as my dream self let go of its life.
My heart was beating so fast, I thought I might have a heart attack right there. It was 2:30 in the morning and that fear had settled in my chest. I was terrified to go back to sleep which, of course, seems foolish now, but I couldn't bear to close my eyes to the darkness even if it was only temporary sleep. It's eight hours later, I can still recall every detail of that dream and I can't stop thinking about it. The thought that there could be nothing after this life frightens me more than anything (even the traditional thought of eternal damnation, or Hell) and yet it is a distinct possibility. My boyfriend tried to be very helpful this morning when I recounted the dream to him. He told me about an experiment wherein someone who was very close to death entered a sealed chamber. The person's weight was constantly measured before death, the moment of death, and immediately after death. Apparently, there was a definite loss in weight at the moment of death. I suggested that this was due to gases escaping the body, etc and my boyfriend said that it wouldn't matter because the entire chamber was sealed and weighed so that wouldn't change it. I'm not sure how true this is, but it was mildly comforting.
I'm not sure where this came from exactly. I think it was definitely influenced by my mother's talk of End Times this past week and also a little bit of seeing Les Misérables the other night. Still, it's pretty depressing and I can't seem to shake the feeling.
According to Dreammoods.com :
My heart was beating so fast, I thought I might have a heart attack right there. It was 2:30 in the morning and that fear had settled in my chest. I was terrified to go back to sleep which, of course, seems foolish now, but I couldn't bear to close my eyes to the darkness even if it was only temporary sleep. It's eight hours later, I can still recall every detail of that dream and I can't stop thinking about it. The thought that there could be nothing after this life frightens me more than anything (even the traditional thought of eternal damnation, or Hell) and yet it is a distinct possibility. My boyfriend tried to be very helpful this morning when I recounted the dream to him. He told me about an experiment wherein someone who was very close to death entered a sealed chamber. The person's weight was constantly measured before death, the moment of death, and immediately after death. Apparently, there was a definite loss in weight at the moment of death. I suggested that this was due to gases escaping the body, etc and my boyfriend said that it wouldn't matter because the entire chamber was sealed and weighed so that wouldn't change it. I'm not sure how true this is, but it was mildly comforting.
I'm not sure where this came from exactly. I think it was definitely influenced by my mother's talk of End Times this past week and also a little bit of seeing Les Misérables the other night. Still, it's pretty depressing and I can't seem to shake the feeling.
According to Dreammoods.com :
Okay, I don't think I have deep emotional stress. My life is actually much better than it's been in a long time. Though yesterday was a little stressful because of end of month deadlines at work, but no more than usual.
I can see how this can apply to me right now. I have been working very hard this year and creating a better version of me.Suicide
To dream that you commit suicide, represents your desperate desire to escape from your waking life. You may be harboring feelings of guilt that you cannot get over and thus turning the aggression on yourself. You need to start approaching problems from a different angle. Alternatively, the dream suggests that you are saying good-bye to one aspect of yourself and hello to a whole new you. It is symbolic of a personal transformation or a new stage in your life.�
This makes sense, too. I am 30 years old now. Clearly my parents don't play the same role in my life and I feel like I am undergoing significant change in my waking life. I've written about it often enough over the last two months.Death
To dream about the death of a loved one, suggests that you are lacking a certain aspect or quality that the loved one embodies. Ask yourself what makes this person special or what you like about them. It is that very quality that you are lacking in your own relationship or circumstances. Alternatively, the dream indicates that whatever that person represents has no part in your own life anymore. In particular, to dream about the death of your parents, indicates that you are undergoing a significant change in your waking life. Your relationship with your parents has evolved into a new realm.
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