A Relic

"We oppose the teaching of Higher Order Thinking Skills"-- Texas GOP platform statement (p. 12 -- seriously):bit.ly/XFGfct
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) February 16, 2013

Comedian Patton Oswalt tweeted this a while ago to draw attention to the Texas GOP’s educational policies. That is certainly something to ponder, but what caught my eye while scrolling through the pdf was this gem:

Homosexuality ― We affirm that the practice of homosexuality tears at the fabric of society and contributes to the breakdown of the family unit. Homosexual behavior is contrary to the fundamental, unchanging truths that have been ordained by God, recognized by our country’s founders, and shared by the majority of Texans. Homosexuality must not be presented as an acceptable “alternative” lifestyle, in public policy, nor should “family” be redefined to include homosexual “couples.”

I am astounded by the sheer level of animus present in a statement; if written by any other anti-gay group, they would at least try to hide the hate. Normally they portray themselves as satisfied with simply denying marriage equality to gay people—the Republican Party of Texas actually professes umbrage with the homosexual “lifestyle.” They take offense to gay people being gay.

In this day and age, it is difficult to find people with such brashly archaic opinions. It is—to put it mildly—not a future-proof statement; it will come back to bite them in their asses. There may still be a (shrinking) portion of people who oppose gay marriage, but you would have a harder time finding people who openly dislike homosexuality itself. It is puzzling that they chose to take such a position in such a time of change.

I would say I can only hope that people will look back on this in the future the same way we look back on statements condemning racial equality, but it is a very likely possibility and will probably happen in the near future.

On Why I Have Not Been Writing Blog Posts Very Often

It’s difficult to pinpoint the exact reason(s) why. This will be a short, muse-y post wherein I prattle on about the topic in an attempt to coax some understanding from myself.

I have gone through creatively stagnant periods before—that is nothing new. While suffering from a bout of depression, I not only found it difficult to write, but I even stopped doodling (which I normally do compulsively while in a class). I got over it, thanks in large part to therapy, and am actually being somewhat productive now when it comes to writing. But somehow I lost interest in my blog for a while.

I periodically come across things that I could blog about, but never get around to actually writing about them. I suspect laziness combined with procrastination (caused by perfectionism?).

Maybe I will tackle some of those topics in the near future.

Something about blog posts this short makes me feel bad(ly?).

Oh, and in good news, I have been published online by the fine people at Apparent Mag!

A Weighty Issue

Hey bloggity blog-blogs! Long time, no see.

Turns out my blogging duties were not the only thing I have neglected. Previously, I gained thirty pounds due to a medication, but successfully lost it by counting calories using an app called My Fitness Pal. Over the last few months, I gained that weight back—I got lazy with watching my diet, and I really, really enjoy food. I know I'm not obese or anything, but going by bmi, I am overweight.

The solution is, of course, to resume dieting. But there something else that might help: getting back to the gym.

There are a number of excuses not to go to the gym: my friends will not be joining me this time (and I have yet to work up the nerve to ask a stranger to spot me), it costs a lot, and there is the intimidation factor when anyone reasonably in shape happens to be there.

But those excuses are just that, excuses. There are tons of physical and mental health benefits and it is enjoyable.

Now I just have to keep at it.

(Pardon the horrible pun title.)

‘Tis the Season

Because I apparently cannot stand to see myself genuinely happy, I have become worried that I am too materialistic this Christmas. The thing that excites me most is the gifts I will be receiving, not the prospect of seeing family members, not the religious elements. This troubles me. I would like to think of myself as someone who values the intangible, the abstract, and the qualitative in people and things. Instead, I feel like a spoiled child waiting for their pony. (Only my pony has a ten inch touchscreen.)

There are, of course, a few reasons why I should not feel this way. I think I am actually looking forward to giving gifts, for example.

But is that still a focus on the material aspects of the celebration?

Another contributing factor is that I have not personally given any money to charities this year. There will be donations as part of my Christmas gifts, but I have yet to actually take cash out of my own pocket. Part of this is due to my mixed feelings about the Salvation Army, to which I would usually toss my pocket change.

I do not really know where I am going with this post, but writing it was a useful exercise to make myself feel better about my desire for MOAR PRESENTS this year.

Potpourri III

Cap’n Crunch is known infamously as the cereal that cuts up the roof of your mouth. But I cannot stop eating it tonight. It reminds me of the CD-ROM that came in boxes of the cereal for a few months in the 90s: Cap’n Crunch’s Crunchling Adventure. It was a surprisingly awesome promotional game in which you trained a creature called a Crunchling to defeat the evil Crunchium Theives. Crunchtastic! As a bonus, you could insert the CD into a CD player and listen to a story about the Crunchlings narrated by the good captain himself. It was probably the best prize to ever be included inside of a cereal box.

Another delicacy that I am sampling tonight is the “apple pear” which is apparently actually an Asian pear that has apple-like qualities. It is delicious.

I went into BigLots! looking to see if they had any wireless keyboards. They did, and I bought one, but a wireless Bluetooth speaker also caught my eye. This is somewhat frivolous as I already have wired speakers, but the allure of transmitting sound across the room proved too much. So far I really like it. I am slowly coming to terms with the fact that this Christmas season, I am spending an awful lot on myself. Pros: joy. Cons: it makes me more materialistic.

Speaking of materialism, I think I am finally okay with idea of receiving a tablet. We are donating to charities already, and I need to give myself a break. Not buying a Nexus 10 is not going to save someone’s life.

Tonight I plan on watching Another Earth. Brit Marling gave a sharp performance in Sound of My Voice, so I am expecting good things from her here.

Two of my friends have worn cardigans around me. I have jumped on the bandwagon.

Just like the Lochtepus.

I had a one dollar credit towards mp3 purchases at Amazon. I purchased My Head is an Animal by Of Monsters and Men, since it was on sale for $3.99. I am not crazy about the album, but I figure that if I can find three songs on it that I really enjoy, it will be worth the money. Their sound reminds me very much of The Head and the Heart and songs like “Little Talks” include sweeping soundscapes, but I have not found the lyrics to be anything to write home about.

Of Monsters and Men - My Head is an Animal: Amazon | Google Play | iTunes

The Fortress

While looking for something to do, I browsed the app Untappd for local bars. I came across a most curious place in the list of nearby establishments: "The Fortress". Armed only with the address, C/K and I decided to go on a trek to check the place out.

What time is it?

The listing designates the place a “speakeasy,” which I can only assume is a category for modern day bars that are trendy and secretive—the kind with no sign above the door. The address was in a residential area, but not far from IUP’s campus.

On our first pass by, we spotted a house with a back patio lit up by Christmas lights. The house itself was dark and seemingly empty. Clearly this bar was so hipster-y that it was disguised as a quiet house to fool the legions of uncool people who must prowl the area looking for the underground venue.

Trepidation gripped me by the time we had worked up the courage to pull into a gravel parking lot behind the house. We noticed that there were multiple entrances. Apparently, the structure was home to several apartments, also explaining the ample parking. We got out of the car and walked around the building. Seeing no signs of life, we abandoned our quest and retired to watch Scott Pilgrim airing on MTV2.

Further investigation online revealed that there were several spots on Foursquare (where Untappd gets its listings) that were private residences, but given nicknames. Other examples included “B*tch Palace” and “The Cave.” The Fortress’ Foursquare page even listed it as such (while the Untappd page indicated it only as a bar).

In the end, we were gypped. We were duped by college kids “cleverly” naming their (likely uncool) liars. But hey, it was still sort of an adventure.

All Mind, No Matter

I mentioned a while back that I was working on a new venture with some friends. Tonight I am proud to say that episode one of our podcast has been published. It is not on iTunes (yet), but you can download it directly from the link at the bottom of the entry.

It is a little rough, considering how green we are at the whole process, but it will improve in the coming weeks.

Linkage: allmind-nomatter.blogspot.com