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January 24th, 2007
11:48 am - Magic and some new DVD's . . . plus some storytelling
 "Come, come to my house," reads one section in the Semitic language that is supposed to be the snake's mother speaking, trying to lure him out of the tomb. In another passage, the snake is addressed as if he is a lover with "Turn aside, O my beloved." Classic, this text is, in terms of magical inscriptions. It may be the oldest text in a Semitic language, and, of course, it's magical.
Of course, the researchers are wild about its age and its connection with pre-Cannanite linguistics, which is all well and good, but it's magic, Baby!
Modern magic isn't like its grandaddy. It's been reformatted in a lot of ways to reflect that moderns don't really feel like they can (or, perhaps, should) affect reality in amazing ways. The ancient world's magic involved such creative things as masquarading as Moses (the greatest of Jewish magicians), pretending to be archangels and commanding the legions of lower-order angels to do piddly tasks, and making women "burn until they come to me." In the above example, the magician masquarades as the snake's mother and then as his lover in order to cause the snakes to leave.
In all, ancient magicians sure talked a lot of shit.
Modern magicians don't really do this. We tend to focus on change on a really small scale (generally within ourselves) or a really amazingly huge scale (e.g. changing the world so that it's got more "positive energy" floating around in it). Our results are not measurable, nor are they often testable. We avoid using magic to find things, obtain love (all the ethical "love spells are bad" dogma is amazing), and hurl fireballs down the street.
We talk in very . . . uncertain terms about what our magic can do, or will do. If asked to measure our success, we often don't produce a lot of tangible evidence, or we dodge the question entirely by saying, "Magic is too important to be used for experimentation."
I sometimes wonder: is this because we have little faith in our magic, or because we are afraid of what might happen if it actually worked?
Or is modern magic just not as strong, useful, or (possibly) egotistical as ancient magic? Which then begs the question: is it then inferior or superior to ancient magic, and can we even make that comparison bear fruit?
( On a totally different subject: Bruce Campbell, Jennifer Garner, and Lewis Carrol. . . )
Current Location: Southeast of Disorder
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/classic/confused.gif) curious
Current Music: "Nautical Wheelers", -JB
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December 1st, 2006
02:01 pm - It's a tad blustery, but that's not really important. . .
 So today it's kinda blustery outside. People keep talking about it (one gent demonstrated the force of the wind to his friends by stumbling about in the lobby of my building when I got back from lunch), but it's really not that impressive to me. Sure, the wind is blowing, but then, it kinda always does. You know, it's wind. And wind, as they say, blows.
I would point out, though, that 'tis an ill wind that blows no minds.
Personally, I'm more concerned about the state of disaster I heard Kansas was in this morning, given that I have family there whose livelihood can be destroyed by a very bad ice storm, like the one that has recently passed over there.
The weather here, honestly, is annoying but not bad or extraordinary to me.
I've been following the conversations on ADF-Liturgists, but avoiding posting recently. A number of conversations have come up here on LJ, and they've been rather fun to talk through without a lot of the emotion that seems to have spurred discussion on the email list. Those I've talked to on LJ seem a lot more willing to chat about things, and I don't have to worry about being formal.
The prayer time has helped, too. With a recently cleaned room and a greater tendency to sleep in my bed (instead of the couch, which is where I have been exhaustedly falling asleep until about this week), I'm reopening a deeper personal practice. My liturgy journal is behind in postings, but it's not so far behind in being written down. I just have to find the time this weekend to do some catching up.
I picked up issue # 12 of the Army of Darkness comic book. The cover I got, of course, is the one with Ash and the two schoolgirls. I mean, honestly, what did you expect? The back cover, though, indicates that unlucky issue # 13 will involve the death of Ashley J. Williams. I'm curious to see how this plays out, but it's expected to coincide nicely with a Marvel Comics crossover, Marvel Zombies. Why didn't I get into comic books as a kid? This is kinda fun!
I'm also highly amused at two headlines, sitting sid-by-side in the politics section of CNN today:
Um. . . I think that the first and the second one are mutually exclusive. The GOP is apparently not happy with telling you what you can and can't do in your bedroom; it now also wishes to legislate when you're allowed to feel pain for the first time. How's that for civil liberties and personal responsibility?
Time to write my rat of a congresswoman yet again. She's so good at what she does.
Oh yeah: I also have a "terror score" assigned to me for the next forty years. Didn't know you were reading a terrorist's LJ, did ya? I wasn't aware I was writing one until just this morning.
I'll be at Outland tonight. . . We'll see how the 80's/industrial/goth night goes. I'm curious how it'll all play out.
Current Location: Southeast of Disorder
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/classic/smile.gif) amused
Current Music: "Little Miss Magic", -JB
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October 26th, 2006
12:20 pm - A quiet night
Last night, I did nothing.
After I left my office around 7 PM, I went searching hard for the movie Darkman, which I have never seen. You see, I've picked up a comic book called Darkman Vs. The Army of Darkness, and I want to get the background story before I read the comic book.
I assure you, it's killing me that I own a comic I can't read yet.
But, after a night of searching, I came up empty-handed at the rental stores I visited, with one telling me, "Oh, that's an old movie. You might want to try the library."
Then again, I suppose 1990 was 16 years ago.
So, when I finally came home, I ended up sitting with Tina on the couch and watching some brain-candy: Dancing with the Stars, Lost, and The Nine.
Lost still manages to keep my attention when it's on, but The Nine just. . . isn't any good. It's too scattered and disjointed for any sort of plot or feeling to take place. I think it's trying too hard.
But the nice thing about Wednesday evening TV is that none of it takes any thought.
I ended up falling asleep with Tina on the couch. It was a nice change of pace.
Edit: On the bright side (regarding how old Darkman is), one of our students is reading his history book, and said, "That's crazy. The Japanese weren't allowed to become citizens until 1952. That's not that long ago."
Current Location: Southeast of Disorder
Current Mood: relaxed
Current Music: "The Great Filling Station Holdup", -JB
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March 21st, 2006
01:23 pm - Something to watch in your spare time
Warning, this might be depressing:
The cutting down of two old English oaks
It runs about five minutes and is a sort of mini-documentary. (Yes, completely safe for work, so long as environmentalist documentaries are cool in your office, of course.)
The link came into the ADF Office today, and while I usually don't spend a lot of time on most of the crazy things that come in (things about people being told they're the King of the Druids and such are not exactly uncommon), I checked out this link.
I'm unimpressed, in general, with the piece, but there are certain aspects that make it worth watching. In particular, the two horses who show up, ostensibly, to "save" the trees are interesting. The "shame on you, England" motif is kinda. . . annoying. But then, it's also not surprising (nor necessarily undeserved).
[Here's a direct link to the video feed.]
I also have two new Army of Darkness comics. My day is made.
Current Mood: amused
Current Music: "USS Zydecoldsmobile", -JB
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December 23rd, 2005
01:58 pm - Today is a good day.
You want a nursery rhyme, demon boy, I got one for you.
Ash be nimble,
Ash be quick,
Ash blows off your friggin face with the boomstick! It is, perhaps, impossible that more than a few of my interests might intersect in a single place. Yet, today, three have managed to come together in perfect synthesis.
- Ashley J. Williams (aka: Ash of Army of Darkness fame)
- Tentacles and other Cthulhoid things (okay, not exactly an interest, but you've been around my journal long enough to understand)
- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Strangely, this particular synthesis also included a few other nifty things and homages, including nursery rhymes, Sesame Street games, and the 2-D bad guy from Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
I challenge anyone to fit more of my interests together in one place.
The place in question is issue #3 of Army of Darkness Vs. Re-Animator, an excellent blend of two genres that were always closely related, but were never really integrated until now.
The cover alone gives you a good idea of what this thing is all about.
Now, I understand that not everyone can get excited about a comic book. Some of you are probably old enough to believe that a good, solid book without pictures is the way to go. But then, I must echo Alice: "and what is the use of a book," thought Alice, "without pictures or conversations?"
I have mentioned these comic books before, but never this particular series, I don't think. First, of course, was the Army of Darkness: Ashes 2 Ashes series of comic books, which picked up where the movie Army of Darkness left off. This was followed closely by the series Army of Darkness: Shop Till You Drop (Dead), which amused me greatly by having one issue that looked like a department store catalogue, and one which had Ash wielding a lightsabre! You cannot go wrong with such things.
Well, now we have Army of Darkness Vs. Re-Animator, the third comic book series here. In this, we finally start to see the tie-in with the Necornomicon being a part of H. P. Lovecraft's horrific world. Until now, the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis has summoned Kandarian demons and that's about it. Now, it also unlocks the gate for Yog-Sothoth, who has been mentioned by name. And. . . Was that Cthulhu I happened to see in this issue? (psst: he's certainly on the cover of issue #1!)
Gotta love Bruce Campbell, in all his incarnations, you know.
There's so much potential here, and I'm thoroughly enjoying it.
So, yeah. Maybe I get excited over small things. Maybe I find them just a tad too much fun. But really, would anyone have me any other way?
Current Mood: amused
Current Music: "Trouble on the Horizon", -JB
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November 7th, 2005
July 12th, 2005
01:19 pm - Bruce Campbell is all good. . .
Nothing can excuse Wendy's no longer giving you larger fries when you ask them to "biggie size" your meal.
But I did manage to find two new issues of Army of Darkness: Shop Till You Drop Dead. One cover includes Ash wielding a lightsabre!
Today is a good day, but it would have been better if Wendy's were a team player.
On second thought, as I was looking for a link for their bastard plans to reduce my fry intake, I found their section on animal welfare, and I'm quite pleased with their treatment of chickens. Maybe a chicken sandwich is in order. I don't usually eat it because of the methods of raising and transporting chickens. Call it a "bad run-in" with a transported chicken in my childhood. ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) red_sput will know what I mean.
McDonald's isn't quite so descriptive of their initiatives, though, so I'm curious about their chicken, not that I eat it anyway.
Anyone know where I can get a myrtle branch? I need it to summon me a ghost.
Current Mood: amused
Current Music: "Truckstop Salvation", -JB
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January 16th, 2004
10:11 am - Dreams, part II
I had two dreams in one night. ( Read more... )
Now my first dream was even more interesting. And strange.
You might get to hear about that, if you're nice.
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/classic/blah.gif) blah
Current Music: "Desdemona's Building a Rocket Ship", -JB
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November 13th, 2003
11:58 am - Could it be anyone else?
Gimme some sugar baby.
Which B-Movie Badass Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla
Current Mood: indescribable
Current Music: "Five O'Clock Somewhere", -JB & AJ
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