It's not Easter yet...

This would be more appropriate, perhaps, on Sunday.
What exactly would be appropriate for the Easter basket, though? (For a variation on the theme: perhaps a CD).

Based on a true story!

It's official: I'm an international celebrity

I'm on the BBC! Well, sort of; you'll have to scroll down, and it ultimately links Pieces of Flair rather than this site--which is just as well, since I haven't posted any of my own music. But I'm given credit for the "song that begged" for the competition. He also notes the Ted Peters connection, which I'm happy about. Also: hear "Tiny Robots" unplugged on the 25th!
I hope Rodney is happy about the competition, although I can't be sure he'd be happy about the songs themselves. A lot of ignorance about robots there. But perhaps he'll send the winner a robot. After all, what have you got to lose?
In case your wondering about the cartoon, I've finally confirmed that I'm a 5 on the Enneagram, which, among other things, means that I'll pretty much be happy wherever I am, as long as I have something to read.
Speaking of which, I was happy to make the connection between the Synod of Dort and Patti Smith today: the opening words of her debut album Horses are, "Jesus died for somebody's sins, but not mine"--which is an excellent summary of limited atonement, although usually people like to include themselves in the elect. I don't really know where I may end up, but like I said, as long as I have something to read I'll be happy.

Was John a carpenter?

I guess it depends on which John we're talking about.

Opinion peace

Sometimes I think I ought to be writing about things that matter, and maybe my thoughts on politics and the world and such. A friend of mine occasionally posts very long, thoughtful analyses of various issues (on Mel Gibson's The Passion, Leo Strauss, and Reagan among other things); but I haven't really used my power for either good or evil. Just cartoons. Maybe I should have said, Everyone is entitled to my cartoons. Hmm...

I'll learn to work the saxophone...

In most respects, I prefer Sonny Rollins to John Coltrane. If I were to actually play the saxophone (as opposed to a "saxamaphone") I'd probably play more like Hank Mobley (except not as good, of course).

Gloom

I was reflecting on Brian's inquiry as to whether our inner tubes are tied together, and it occurred to me that we often don't use the resources that are available to us. Or at least, I don't.
The key here is of course symbolic (standing under a streetlight, locked out of the car might also work, but that's not really what I was getting at here).
Another friend was commenting on the gloom of Good Friday, which is only loosely associated with the idea of neglecting resources at hand, but it seemed sufficient to warrant that title on a sunny day.

Who do we encounter on our walks?

There was an interesting discussion this morning that revolved around status; it was good to be reminded that sometimes simply maintaining one's place in a bad situation seems better than trading it in for... something else, I know not what. That is, stability can be an end in itself.
I was trying to represent the Stoic point of view, but in that context it more or less meant being quiet. Others dominated the conversation, as often happens; like a dog tied to a cart, we're all going along in any case, and the only thing we have control over is how we go. Some find this an unpleasant image--a dog trotting alongside a cart to avoid being dragged behind--so feel free to substitute floating in a river. That fits the mood of the day better in any case.

So far out in front...

It's a nice day for a walk.

Tuesday...

I had a discussion of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator last night; this morning's pronoucement is in light of the "perceiver" portion of my score. I think it's interesting, but necesarily limited; some have even suggested that it could be replaced by a pig. Needless to say, Mr. Miro's pig had small ears and a large tail, things which wouldn't necessarily be indicated on the MBTI.

Television

I have more or less stopped watching television, but not necessarily out of principle... however, I've found that I don't really miss it that much, except perhaps the Weather Channel and the Simpsons.

Wardrobe changing with the weather...

Your heart's desire...

Ethics is a funny sub-discipline... on some level, everyone agrees on the basic principles, something along the lines of "don't harm others." But the way that gets applied is another matter. In my darker hours I tend towards emotivism: it seems to be the best theory in terms of describing not only my own reactions towards things, but also in characterizing the reactions of others.
For instance: an old quote from Pat Robertson was brought to mind yesterday, that feminism is a "socialist, anti-family political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians." Not only is this not empirically supportable, it also isn't Biblical. It seems easiest to say that this is Robertson's emotional reaction to feminism, and further, that it expresses nothing but his own emotional reaction.
My fear is that all moral judgments are essentially the same.

Pomp and circumstance

I did not go to "Central High," or anywhere with such a lackluster name. But graduation ceremonies of all sorts have always seemed rather pointless. Part of me continues to resist ceremonies of all sorts: they never quite seem to accomplish what they're supposed to accomplish. That is, they may memorialize (and make memorable) a certain day that would otherwise fade into the dim reaches of memory, but in the ceremony itself can never effect the sort of transformation that is implied. I realize that graduation is supposed to mark the transformation rather than cause it, but really it just means that you either get to stop taking classes--not a bad thing--or else that you get to start taking classes somewhere else--also, not necessarily a bad thing.
I don't think I'm done with this train of thought, but I may be out of steam for the moment.

Flying...

I used to fly a lot more than I do now; today this would probably be about Delta rather than TWA.
I wonder if Sartre got the idea that "hell is other people" from sitting on an airplane between two people across the Atlantic... maybe, maybe not. I guess there are lots of other opportunties to make that observation.

Mood of the day

Mai has more trouble with philosophy than most, but she's around me enough to take a stab once in a while... she's not a big fan of Nietzsche (as should be obvious here--and of course she's not the only one, although I would stop short of saying that she's in good company) but then, it's fairly clear that she doesn't really understand what's going on. And in that respect, she's basically the opposite of me: I understand what's going on in Nietzsche, but not the rest of the world. Hmmm...

One of those days...

You know, one of those days ending in "y." I wonder what this reflects... perhaps nothing.

Monday's entry, late as usual.

Daylight saving time has taken a bit longer to get used to this year than it usually does... although perhaps I've just forgotten. That, and I'm getting older.

Lost in a cave?

Some mornings start off better than others... judging by Mai's appearance, it's a rough morning all around. The rooster in the corner is probably for Asclepius, but you never know around here.

Again, out of order

I guess that's appropriate, being out of order. Notice, though, that it looks okay on the blueprints.