I'm in ur space bubbles, transporting ur symbolism

So, yes. Though the opinion of the group was split, think that The Fountain was an excellent movie. Perhaps a bit heavy-handed at times, but overall the symbolism was actually pretty subtle and beautiful. The fact that the whole thing was done without CGI still impresses me, though I can see how most of it was done. It gave it a very surreal feel to many parts, which is interesting given that it was probably more grounded in real images than it would have been with CGI. I can see how some people would be disappointed with it - it was not as...epic as the trailers made it look, but it's still incredibly artistic. And I think that to not enjoy the beauty and the story to at least some extent would only be possible if one had never known what love is like.

So, today (technically yesterday) was Thxgiving, and after that movie, I'm mostly just thankful that no one I know has brain cancer (knock on wood). There are many other things I'm thankful for, and as for the people I'm thankful for, you know who you are. I'll just leave it at that, because putting it in words always seems to cheapen it somewhat.

This year also marks the second year that Dad has made good use of my vacation insomnia...you know how most people get up really early to make it to all the good deals on Black Friday? Well I just stay up all night and then go out and buy things for cheap. This year, I'm waiting until Office Depot opens up at 6am and going to purchase some cheap Mp3 players and surge protectors/battery backup supplies. Exciting, I know. But, it gives me an excuse to stay up all night, blogging and gaming, and to feel nary a guilty twinge for it.

Oh, and since I realized that I only posted the textless version of this earlier, here is the second in the series:

Casino Royale, OR "Oh my god, I'm still cringing in empathic testicular pain"

So, I'm home for the break - that's the next six weeks, for anyone keeping track. While much of it will probably be spent hibernating and doing research on medieval Spain so as to not have the worst winter term ever, I shall definitely be up for stuffs and/or things with folks in the DG area. Such as, movies! There's a small army of them that I want to see, and one has already been checked off the list, quite to my satisfaction.

THINGS I LEARNED FROM CASINO ROYALE:

-Parkour is even more impressive when done amidst explosions
-Half-blind asthmatics can be villains too!
-When detonating a bomb by remote, ensure that said bomb is not, in fact, attached to your own belt loop
-Wanton destruction in third-world countries is funny! Oh wait, our government already knew that
-Poker can be vaguely exciting under certain circumstances
-Venice, LOL

And finally, two reasons why I will never be able to sit in a wicker-bottom chair again:
1) I won't look as good at Daniel Craig while naked in one
2) SWEET MERCIFUL CHRIST, HOW CAN ONE MAN DO THAT TO ANOTHER?! I mean, yes, yes, torture's terrible, in any form. But what man sinks to the level of sack-tapping? That violates the Guy Code. Not cool, half-blind asthmatic bad guy. Not cool.

Ready, set, argue!

So. I'm taking a class this term on Christian Approaches to Bioethics. It's damn interesting - seeing all the different viewpoints, from what many would term "batshit crazy" (Jehovah's Witnesses and Christian Scientists) to the more ostensibly reasonable Catholics, etc. Anywho.

My most recent paper was on "backdoor eugenics". Basically, we can now do early embryonic genetic testing that can detect a number of genetic defects, including Down Syndrome. The statistics are that around 92% of embryos shown to have these defects are aborted. Therefore, the author's argument went, this kind of testing and the resultant abortions demonstrate the de facto societal norm that some embryos are "worth" less than others, and that this kind of early genetic testing leads to a kind of eugenics through the back door.

While I was sorely tempted to entitle my paper "Backdoor Eugenics Sluts 9", it's actually a pretty interesting subject. And contentious! And after the excellent discussion after the rape-issue post, I'd really appreciate hearing you guy's views on this kind of thing.

So. Lots of heinous crimes have historically gone down in the name of bettering the human species via selectively getting it on. Can eugenics be a good thing? Is there a point where it's just or right to tell people that they can't have their own babies, even if those babies are going to come out with spina bifida or some other disorder I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy? Damned if I know. My paper couldn't cover all the various and sundry issues like overpopulation, issues of abortions in general vs. abortions for selective genetic reasons, and other concerns. So! Discuss!

But who will supply the jiggle-vision?!

I discovered this completely by accident while reading a Something Awful review for Revenge of the Ninja, something I'm privileged enough to have had one of you guys goad me into buying for $3 at Blockbuster. The review is quite funny, but the real gem was at the end, wherein we discovered that this movie was being made.


SATAN! SATAN! Release date December 8th, 2006. We have a new quest.

Jumpin' the Base Star

So, tried an Oberon Ale last night. It was quite good! Had excellent flavor, and went down pretty smoothly though at the same time had a little sharpness to it (not too much, though). It had the same kind of aftertaste as Old Rasputin Imperial Russian Stout, which I'm not a huge fan. With the Rasputin, though, it mostly went away after I actually poured the beer into a glass before drinking it; glasses, however, are sadly lacking in this room, so I'll have to try that later. EDIT AFTER SECOND BOTTLE: on a scale of seven, Oberon gets a 6.4! Thanks for the suggestion, guys. Glad I got this before it ran out of season.

Next up is the Two Hearted, I'll probably try that later tonight.

Let's see...not a huge amount of other stuff to report. Last night I went to the other pub in town, Froggy Bottoms. The theme is frog butts. It's bizarre place, but I think the drinks were cheaper than at the Contented Cow, and the atmosphere is still nice. We'll see if we go back there again.

And Battlestar! A very interesting episode, we had. So as I wrap up this post, here are three things we learned about the Cylons:

1) They can get infected with diseases. This has fun implications, let's see where they go with it next week.
2) There may actually be a logical reason why we haven't seen the other five models of Cylon. Ominous!
3) There is a new euphemism for having an orgasm: "jumping the base star". Man, that hybrid looked like she was having a good time.

Internets overload

My research proposal got accepted! That means I have an excuse to do nothing for the rest of the night! Huzzah! So, in the spirit of too-many-video-clips lately...

He has a date with a jump rope, Cosby Bebop, and a strange crossover.

Finally,

I find your lack of motivation disturbing, Admiral.

Yep. I'm supposed to be doing an essay, but so far I've accomplished the following instead of actually writing anything:

1) Devoured some delicious Indian food along with some Red Stripe beer, provided by the thoughtful roommate Cary. It's surprisingly not bad for having such a weird-looking bottle. Boo vague essay prompts. Hooray beer!

2) Stole some awesome links from Stella, including the dinosaur link below and the largest amount of Victorian attire you will ever see on a bird of prey.

3) Wiped the Orks clean from the face of the campaign planet. Orkses are, contrary to popular belief, frequently defeated in battle. Especially when you attack them with 1.4 hojillion kroot, several krootox, and pit your mega-unit against theirs. OMG WTF IT'S A DINOSAUR!

4) Brainstormed ideas for an article making fun of Che Guevara/white adolescents who <3 him. Last week some kid who's getting kicked out of school for a term (because he got caught dealing pot) ran an article that basically compared himself to Che. Since this is retarded, I feel compelled to make a retort.

5) Okay, time for essay. **shakes fist at the most vague essay question prompt I've ever seen**