852 Responses to “Book Discussion”

1. 501 - March 15th, 2007 at - hungdaddy Says:
   
   

   I love all of you i really do, just one question, i made a 28 on my HIV test how is that possible?

2. 502 - March 15th, 2007 at - Pixel Pop Says:
   
   

   @hungdaddy
   You make me feel accepted.
   I got a 100 on my HIV test.
   Just kidding, I have no fucking idea what that means either.
   RAmen

3. 503 - March 15th, 2007 at - hungdaddy Says:
   
   

   @ Pixel Pop i am glad i make you feel accepted it brings a warm feeling to my heart.

4. 504 - March 15th, 2007 at - Thumper â„¢ Says:
   
   

   @hugdaddy
   Please talk to me hugdaddy…28 on your HIV test…ummmm…I think that’s a fail…better luck next time…
   @Pixel
   Don’t tease the animal…it might bite and you’ll catch something nasty…ok now I really am going…as Wenchy would say…

5. 505 - March 15th, 2007 at - Batman Says:
   
   

   @Thumper
   ha ha ha… thanks, Thumper. And, they are. =)

6. 506 - March 15th, 2007 at - Thumper â„¢ Says:
   
   

   @Batman
   “And, they are. =)”
   Damn…makes me wish I wasn’t 1000’s of kilometers away and happily engaged to a lingerie madel…oh well…can’t have it all…

7. 507 - March 15th, 2007 at - Thumper â„¢ Says:
   
   

   errr…that’s lingerie model…my ex was the madel…

8. 508 - March 16th, 2007 at - Batman Says:
   
   

   @Thumper
   ha ha ha ha ha… those madels are trouble. Much safer to stick to the models. =)

9. 509 - March 16th, 2007 at - bill Says:
   
   

   @Batman, Thumper
   I just wanted to say hi. I don’t have much to contribute to BJs or Madels. Butt, when you get around to the Greek jokes, let me know.

10. 510 - March 16th, 2007 at - Batman Says:
    
    

    @Bill
    HA HA HA HA HA HA… nice one. How’s it going??? Long time no see! Er, no talk.

11. 511 - March 16th, 2007 at - bill Says:
    
    

    @Batman
    Yea, good to see (or hear) from you too. I enjoyed my role as stimulator of ideas here for a while but I think I might have run out of interesting perspectives. So, it’s hard to jump right in without a unique perspective to contribute. I did have one idea that I thought was worth exploring, from the dark side, or so it would seem. Here it goes:
    Think of people you respect or admire, maybe Ghandi or Mandella or even Sherlock Holmes. Does a person have to be existent to regard them as admirable or a role model? I don’t believe actual existence should be held against an ideal. That’s like a prejudice against non-existent things right? Hope they don’t get a lawyer.
    Most of my role models have been non-existent. I watched a lot of TV as a youth and the Lone Ranger and Maynard G Crebbs were influencial to me, although all non-existent.
    I admired Sherlock Holmes, even though he doesn’t exist. I admired the Lone Ranger and Maynard. But I don’t hold their non-existence against them.
    The role of fiction might be to actually give insight into the what we should do by providing an ideal character or role model who touches a chord of truth about what we should be doing with our lives.
    God is such a construction. The Judeao/Christian/Islamic God was an attempt to guide moral action and unfortunately it needs a serious update for out time. It might have been the best that could be imagined at the time but got stuck in stone.
    To the side: Have you ever had a great day or a great experience or a great Thanksgiving and felt a need to give thanks but believed in no existent being you could give thanks to? I have. My solution is to give thanks to the Great Imaginary Being, the being that if he existed and if he created all that exists would be worthy of thanks.
    I’m not a fan of monotheism. I believe that if you have many values they cannot be collapsed into a single right or wrong. Many gods are much more appropriate. So what I suggest is that we individually should construct our gods to mirror the values we have and the gods being representative of what we want to become.
    They don’t have to exist. It’s even probably better that they don’t. But don’t hold their non-existence against them. They are our ideals.
    What I’m proposing is that to give thanks or respect to a Great Imaginary Being might not be a bad idea as long as you keep reality straight and don’t incorporate all that everyone else has said into your construction.
    Is this too weird?

12. 512 - March 16th, 2007 at - Batman Says:
    
    

    @Bill
    I don’t think it’s weird at all. I grew up with no cable, so TV was not a huge thing for me. I grew up with my nose in a book… always reading. I read a lot of fiction books from a lot of different genres, and many times there were characters that I admired that did not exist. They weren’t even imaginarily famous. I agree that you can admire imaginary characters, even take some of their ideals and mould them into your own. That’s what imagination is… it creates the best and the worst of us, and allows us to “see” right from wrong. (in a rather more limited way than real life, but still, it’s valid)
    .
    I also know what you mean about the “great day” thing. I get that sometimes when the weather is going well for me and the air smells fresh and I get the time to do something that is just simply pleasurable for myself. I don’t really give thanks to anything though… I am grateful for those days, but not grateful in the sense of thanking a person. Hmmmm… can you be thankful without anyone to thank? I mean, is there such a thing as being just grateful, even if it isn’t directed at anyone/thing? Or is that just defined as happiness?
    .
    I gotta go to bed now… ’tis getting late and I have much to accomplish tomorrow morning if I am going to accompany the group on a pirate’s outing. I’ll think more about this. SEE… you do still have unique perspectives!
    .
    Oh, last point here… but while I pretty much agree with what you say here, I think you are looking at it from too reasonable a perspective. We can admire these imaginary characters as being representative of the morals and goals we ourselves would like to have. The majority of people, it seems, often take it too far, which leads to “religion” and people thinking that this imaginary being is all powerful and completely perfect, and if you don’t follow his imaginary code to the letter there will be dire consequences. Like, if I was obsessed with Batman (I’m not, really, I swear) and decided that I wanted to be like hiim… which led to me eventually believing in him as a real person (I can’t imagine that happening, but somehow it must be possible)… and then I decided that if people were doing things Batman wouldn’t like, then Batman should exact justice. Naturally, since I am delusional and Batman doesn’t really exist, I would begin to be frustrated that these “lawbreakers” were escaping unscathed… so I would decide that “well, Batman would do this if he were here, but he must be on vacation, so I’ll do it for him” and BAM… you suddenly have a hateful vigilante on your hands, who causes pain and suffering in the name of Batman because Batman isn’t around to do it himself.
    .
    That kind of went off on a weird tangent, but it kind of makes sense in my head, so I’ll leave it. Bed now… glad you’re here again!!

13. 513 - March 16th, 2007 at - bill Says:
    
    

    @Batman
    Good reflections. Good tangent, although I’m not convinced it’s a tangent. Thanks. Interesting also. I’ll probably be back when I think I might be able to contribute something original, or a week, whichever comes first.

14. 514 - March 16th, 2007 at - Rowdy Wench Says:
    
    

    @ bill - I’m with Batman - too tired at this point to make a lot of sense. But I love your post. Please keep contributing! You have really caused me to think about what’s in my head. I will get back to thinking about this when I’m not so incredibly tired… :)

15. 515 - March 17th, 2007 at - Thumper â„¢ Says:
    
    

    @Bill
    “Please keep contributing!” - Rowdy Wench
    Hear hear and I second the motion…with regard to admirable characters I’d go Lt Ripley from the Alien triology (yes!…I said “trilogy”)…she over came her personal demons not just for herself but for the greater good…in the end she paid the ultimate sacrifice for her principles…

16. 516 - March 17th, 2007 at - bill Says:
    
    

    @Thumper
    At the time of the first Alien I remember noting that it was the strongest action movie female character ever. Since then there have been others.

17. 517 - March 17th, 2007 at - Batman Says:
    
    

    @Bill & Thumper
    One of my all time favorite movie characters is Mulan, from the Disney movie. I know she’s based on a real person, but I had never heard of her until I saw the Disney version. (Sad, I know) So can she be my hero? I wish I was a brave, strong warrior chick. Instead of, well, a quiet, shy, kinda small and weak girlie girl. Bleah…

18. 518 - March 17th, 2007 at - Navigator Spider Says:
    
    

    Bill & Thumper, i’ve got to say Ripley is one of my all time heroes of cinema, (and i still have a crush on her, but thats another thing…) more recently (and not as good looking) sgt well in dog soldiers, looks after his lads, kicks arse and goes out fighting every inch of the way….

19. 519 - March 19th, 2007 at - hungdaddy Says:
    
    

    Damn, jury duty is a bitch! Is it just me or is this website full of college students.

20. 520 - March 19th, 2007 at - Alchemist Says:
    
    

    It’s just you Hungdaddy.
    My days of 24 hour drinking marathons, sponsored smoke-a-thons and talking bollocks ended a while ago I’m afraid :(
    .
    Hang on - what am I talking about, did they bugger. Anyway, I graduated quite a few years ago (somehow :) )
    .
    I’ve always fancied the idea of jury duty - preferably being sequestered on a really long case - free hotel! Some of the good hotel will put your bar-tab down as legitimate expenses too.
    .
    If it’s a boring case then take a book in with you. Something like the “Anarchist’s Cookbook” or “The Psychopaths Bible”. Yawn loudly and regularly to show your interest! Or you could have a farting competition! Judges love that kind of thing :)

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