I've never been much of a fan of Oprah. She just didn't really sit well with me for some reason. Maybe it was that she was so rich, and I'm so poor. But my past thoughts of her have been vanquished (ironically) by the following video:
I said "ironically" because this video was meant to bash Oprah. Instead, I cheered her on. Why? Because the only point the video makes is: Oprah isn't christian. Most of her "religious" preachings are really just ideas you can find in a lot of self-help books (probably written by Oprah). I don't buy it personally, but it's not like she's trying to force it on anyone.
Meanwhile, the christian leaders are still trying to oppress the world by preventing gay marriage, stem-cell research (which doesn't even use fetuses anymore), and is giving aid to poor nations to make them christian too (what other choice do they have?).
The only people who will find Oprah to be a heretic after seeing this video are ignorant christians anyway, and they'll believe anyone is evil if someone else says they don't worship their messiah. They say that satan is manipulating people like Oprah to turn people away from christianity.
I'm not saying all christians are stupid enough to buy into the crap this video is saying, but based on the comments on YouTube, there are plenty of them that will. As the world is finding less and less of a need for christianity, the hardcore followers are going to look for everything they can to keep people believing. But trying to turn the world against Oprah by calling her a "not-christian"? That's pretty lame.
"Open your eyes, turn off the TV, and pray." Yeah, that method will solve everything, just like it always has.
I am working on a short story collection to self-publish through Lulu. I want to sell it to friends and family, or anyone else who might be interested in my work (if such a person exists). This means I need to write more stories, and I'm finally starting to get back into my stride.
This story is based on a dream I had. I've never had a dream worth turning into a story before, but over the past few nights, I've had two. This one is a lot stranger than the other dream, but I've added some stuff to give it more of a plot. Most of the events did occur in the dream, and I tried to describe things as close to what I saw as possible.
So in a sense, this is a story from my own personal experience. I tried not to make that obvious, because I want the story to exist as a whole on its own. I didn't want to have to explain anything outside of the story.
I've acquired a new hobby: making my own beer. I wasn't really a fan of beer until a few weeks after I turned 21, when I had a chance to try some high quality beers (I.E., not Budweiser or Coors). What I found was that beer is a fascinating beverage with a rich history and a massive brewing community. My dad told me about Mr. Beer, a home brewing kit, and I was very interested.
Not long ago, I got a kit, and of course immediately began working on making my first back. It was the West Coast Pale Ale that came with the kit. It took a week to ferment, then another week to bottle and carbonate. I took my first sip after letting it sit in the refrigerator for two days, and it was amazing.
Last night I started on my second batch, a blueberry wheat beer. It's made with real blueberries, and I love wheat beers. This one will take two weeks to ferment, and another week to bottle and carbonate.
Before I really got into this, I thought beer was a pretty sleazy beverage. All I ever saw anyone drink were the shitty American beers, and they taste like carbonated garbage juice to me. They also seemed to be drinking it purely to get drunk, and that's a shame.
But when you try beer made from kelp, or flavored with real fruits, it's such a different experience. They actually taste good, and aren't hard to like.
I want to try making other things eventually, maybe even wines if I can find the equipment for a reasonable cost. There's a massive community out there for making these things, so I've got all the help I could possibly want.
I'm a pretty big fan of Star Wars, especially the Knights of the Old Republic video games. I've read up on the entire history of the galaxy, which spans several million years and makes the six movies everyone has seen pretty insignificant. I wish I were a Jedi, and I even have favorite Sith and Jedi masters. So you could say I'm a Star Wars geek. I'm okay with that. I don't let it affect my lifestyle, but I just find the idea that this entire galaxy has been created by thousands of people pretty fascinating.
One of my goals as a writer is to one day write a book set in the Star Wars setting. Just one. I don't want to be known as a guy who wrote a Star Wars book, but instead as a guy who wrote a Star Wars book after writing some other really good stuff, and he's just doing this for fun.
But I didn't make this post to talk about me. I made it to talk about Mandalorians. If you don't know what a Mandalorian is, I'll explain. Remember Bobba Fett? Remember the stormtroopers? Their armor is based on Mandalorian armor. Mandalorians were warriors in the Knights of the Old Republic series, and nearly annihilated the republic before the Jedi intervened and put a stop to their massacre. After that, their civilization was spread thin and they never fully recovered. However, their values and lifestyles continued in the Star Wars galaxy and play some small roles in what happens over the next 4,000 years.
Now, no one knows how long ago the movies took place, but I like to think it's several thousand years, maybe even a few million. But somehow the Mandalorian lifestyle now exists here on Earth.
In other words, some fucking geeks thought it would be cool to take this shit seriously:
Driving while talking on a phone isn't as safe as driving while not. I'll admit, I've done it on occasion, and I drive worse when I do. I know this, so I try not to do it. I've seen people who are much worse at it than I am, but so has anyone who lives anywhere in the world where there are cars. It's a stupid thing to do, and we shouldn't do it.
But the issue of time? Fucking come on. The article says you lose 20 hours per YEAR, as if that's some kind of travesty. Most people drive well over the speed limit anyway, regardless of whether they're on the phone or not. Driving 50 on a 35 is much more dangerous than talking on the phone while driving anyway. Combining the two is what makes me fucking hate driving anywhere.
I drive at most, 5 MPH over the speed limit. Why? Because the speed limit is there for a reason. It's not a suggestion, it's a matter of safety. I've never been pulled over by a police car, and I never will- at least not for speeding. And I'm not talking about highways, I'm talking about the side roads where the lanes are just barely wider than the car itself. Speeding on those roads gets people killed. You can't react as quickly, and there's little room for error.
The problem with drivers is that they feel they need to get where they are going faster than they should. So many people are always in a hurry when they really don't need to be. Leave a little earlier, and enjoy the drive. Slow down, and then you're not putting yourself, your passengers, or anyone outside the car at as much of a risk.
2008 has come and gone, and boy what a year it was. Some of my finer moments were when I drove my mom's car back to the house as a favor to her, and trying scotch whiskey for the first time. As I reflect back on the year, it's clear that 2008 was in fact way better than 2007. Here's why:
1. No celebrities made asses of themselves
It's true. Look back 48 hours, and you'll see that there were no major news stories about Lindsay Lohan or Tom Cruise. It's not so much a problem that many celebrities are fucking morons, but that the media tries to make the public think that it actually matters. Fortunately, that has finally come to an end.
2. Flag burning wasn't an issue
There might have been some people who burned flags on New Years Day, but again, there wasn't anything about this in the news. There haven't been any attempts at making it illegal, at least not publicly. And while we're at it...
3. Homosexuals weren't completely banned from marriage
I think it's still legal in Massachusetts. Honestly, I don't keep track of this anymore. It's not that I don't believe in gay marriage- in fact, I'm a strong supporter of it- but this never should have been an issue in the first place. The only reason it ever was was because republicans like to make shit seem more controversial than it really is so that it keeps people from paying attention to issues like rising gas prices.
4. Heroes Season Three wasn't ruined
While the Writer's Strike all but destroyed the second season of Heroes, season 3 has remained unharmed. It awaits an incredible comeback with the original concept back in place. It won't focus on special effects of fight scenes, but instead on three-dimensional characters who just happen to have the abilities of superheroes.
5. Stephen King didn't publish a book
Stephen King sucks.
I put this together last night and did a bunch of minor editing things with the book itself. It's ready to be printed at Lulu.com, so I'll be buying a copy soon. I wanted to get a bunch of copies printed before Christmas, but I had a lot of other things to do.
I didn't really have any ideas for a cover, but I kind of like this one. I got rid of all the colors in it, and I think it looks a lot better this way. It continues the theme of lots of dead bodies, but this one is a bit more graphic than the previous cover if you look closely.
Overall, the inside of this book looks a LOT better than the first one. I made it a lot more official-looking, and it's quite nice. Microsoft Office 2007 did an amazing job with it.
I am addicted to The Office. It's on Netflix, so I can watch it wherever I have an Internet connection. When I'm not watching it, I get anxious and can't think of anything but whether Pam and Jim will hook up, or what crazy idea Michael has for the next episode. I can't wait to see the next prank Jim will pull on Dwight, and then Dwight's ultimately hilarious response.
When I do watch it, I feel good, relaxed. I feel like nothing else matters. I can find out all the things I'm wondering, and my life feels balanced.
What will I do when I've caught up with the rest of the world? I'm watching several episodes every day, and soon I'm not going to have anymore The Office to watch. I'll go through withdrawal. I'm scared.
