Very well. I'm having trouble finding Emily Dicksinson poems online, the recent unedited versions anyway. So I'll do one poem of my own. If it sucks, blame me.
I Should Like
I should like to walk the night in solitude,
to see liquid moonlight
brush across snow
and dance through air.
I should like to be lost in the night,
to feel the silent peace
that comes in a world
aglow with light of
ever-faithful stars.
Why, then, do I fear the dark?
What creatures of my making prowl the night
and make midnight gleamings perilous?
Why is moonlight not enough?
...in fact, let's throw in another one. Because I can.
I Don't Like The Title So I'm Not Telling What It Is
I never knew I was disturbing--
I was too busy to see that!
My musing--my odd world
Demands--Claims--its rightful place.
I never knew that I,
Sometimes when I wasn't trying to be,
Could scare you--my mind simply works
At its own pace
In its own style.
But you would be surprised-indeed--
By how many times I've stopped
To watch--
And notice--
How terrifying all the others
Can often be.
~Paul
31 October 2005
25 October 2005
Explanation of o_0
o_0
Also, o_O, 0_o, O_o, etc.
Wikipedia: "(o_O) or (ô_O) Confused Surprise"
Megatokyo: http://www.megatokyo.com/index.php?strip_id=207
Look at the third panel.
So, to sum up o_0, it comes close to meaning, for me, "What the freak?" more than any sort of bugged out scepticism. It hasn't reached the the point of rational control that is required to make anything like rational thought even possible.
So, if it seems like I use o_0 a lot, it's because my dial is permanently set to "confused."
~Paul
Also, o_O, 0_o, O_o, etc.
Wikipedia: "(o_O) or (ô_O) Confused Surprise"
Megatokyo: http://www.megatokyo.com/index.php?strip_id=207
Look at the third panel.
So, to sum up o_0, it comes close to meaning, for me, "What the freak?" more than any sort of bugged out scepticism. It hasn't reached the the point of rational control that is required to make anything like rational thought even possible.
So, if it seems like I use o_0 a lot, it's because my dial is permanently set to "confused."
~Paul
23 October 2005
Some (Not So) Random Quotes
Because I can't articulate anything right now and you people won't let me be quiet.
Anyone see a pattern?
“When you climb up a ladder, you must begin at the bottom, and ascend step by step, until you arrive at the top; and so it is with the principles of the Gospel—you must begin with the first and go on until you learn all the principles of exaltation. But it will be a great while after you have passed through the veil before you will have learned them. It is not all to be comprehended in this world; it will be a great work to learn our salvation and exaltation even beyond the grave.”
--Joseph Smith
“Salvation does not come all at once; we are commanded to be perfect even as our Father in heaven is perfect. It will take us ages to accomplish this end, for there will be greater progress beyond the grave, and it will be there that the faithful will overcome all things, and receive all things, even the fulness of the Father’s glory. I believe the Lord meant just what he said: that we should be perfect, as our Father in heaven is perfect. That will not come all at once, but line upon line, and precept upon precept, example upon example, and even then not as long as we live in this mortal life, for we will have to go even beyond the grave before we reach that perfection and shall be like God."
--Joseph Fielding Smith
“What we do in this life is chart a course leading to eternal life. That course begins here and now and continues in the realms ahead. We must determine in our hearts and in our souls, with all the power and ability we have, that from this time forward we will press on in righteousness; by so doing we can go where God and Christ are. If we make that firm determination, and are in the course of our duty when this life is over, we will continue in that course in eternity. That same spirit that possesses our bodies at the time we depart from this mortal life will have power to possess our bodies in the eternal world. If we go out of this life loving the Lord, desiring righteousness, and seeking to acquire the attributes of godliness, we will have that same spirit in the eternal world, and we will then continue to advance and progress until an ultimate, destined day when we will possess, receive, and inherit all things.”
--Bruce R. McConkie
“I told them I was but a man, and they must not expect me to be perfect; if they expected perfection from me, I should expect it from them; but if they would bear with my infirmities and the infirmities of the brethren, I would likewise bear with their infirmities.”
--Joseph Smith
"...I do not even believe that there is a single revelation, among the many God has given to the Church, that is perfect in its fulness. The revelations of God contain correct doctrine and principle, so far as they go; but it is impossible for the poor, weak, low, grovelling, sinful inhabitants of the earth to receive a revelation from the Almighty in all its perfections. He has to speak to us in a manner to meet the extent of our capacities...
If an angel should come into this congregation, or visit any individual of it, and use the language he uses in heaven, what would we be benefitted? Not any, because we could not understand a word he said. When angels came to visit mortals, they have to condescend to and assume, more or less, the condition of mortals, they have to descend to our capacities in order to communicate with us. I make these remarks to show you that the kingdom of Heaven is not yet complete upon the earth. Why? Because the people are not prepared to receive it in its completeness, for they are not complete or perfect themselves.
The laws that the Lord has given are not fully perfect, because the people could not receive them in their perfect fulness; but they can receive a little here and a little there, a little to-day and a little to-morrow, a little more next week, and a little more in advance of that next year, if they make a wise improvement upon every little they receive; if they do not, they are left in the shade, and the light which the Lord reveals will appear darkness to them, and the kingdom of heaven will travel on and leave them groping. Hence, if we wish to act upon the fulness of the knowledge that the Lord designs to reveal, little by little, to the inhabitants of the earth, we must improve upon every little as it is revealed."
--Brigham Young
"For me, the plan of salvation must be a system that is pure and holy in all its points; it must reveal things that no other Church or kingdom can reveal; it must circumscribe the knowledge that is upon the face of the earth, or it is not from God. Such a plan incorporates every system of true doctrine on the earth, whether it be ecclesiastical, moral, philosophical, or civil: it incorporates all good laws that have been made from the days of Adam until now; it swallows up the laws of nations, for it exceeds them all in knowledge and purity; it circumscribes the doctrines of the day, and takes from the right and the left, and brings all truth together in one system, and leaves the chaff to be scattered hither and thither. That is the proof to me, and has been from the beginning, that the principles are pure and holy; and every person living to them will attain through them sanctification."
--Brigham Young
“[God] is using not only his covenant people, but other peoples as well, to consummate a work, stupendous, magnificent, and altogether too arduous for this little handful of Saints to accomplish by and of themselves. …
“All down the ages men bearing the authority of the Holy Priesthood—patriarchs, prophets, apostles and others, have officiated in the name of the Lord, doing the things that he required of them; and outside the pale of their activities other good and great men, not bearing the Priesthood, but possessing profundity of thought, great wisdom, and a desire to uplift their fellows, have been sent by the Almighty into many nations, to give them, not the fulness of the Gospel, but that portion of truth that they were able to receive and wisely use.”
--Elder Orson F. Whitney, as quoted by Howard W. Hunter
"One of the grand fundamental principles of Mormonism is to receive truth, let it come from whence it may . . . We should gather all the good and true principles in the world and treasure them up, or we shall not come out true Mormons."
--Joseph Smith
Now I get to see everyone's reaction. Heh heh heh.
~Paul
Anyone see a pattern?
“When you climb up a ladder, you must begin at the bottom, and ascend step by step, until you arrive at the top; and so it is with the principles of the Gospel—you must begin with the first and go on until you learn all the principles of exaltation. But it will be a great while after you have passed through the veil before you will have learned them. It is not all to be comprehended in this world; it will be a great work to learn our salvation and exaltation even beyond the grave.”
--Joseph Smith
“Salvation does not come all at once; we are commanded to be perfect even as our Father in heaven is perfect. It will take us ages to accomplish this end, for there will be greater progress beyond the grave, and it will be there that the faithful will overcome all things, and receive all things, even the fulness of the Father’s glory. I believe the Lord meant just what he said: that we should be perfect, as our Father in heaven is perfect. That will not come all at once, but line upon line, and precept upon precept, example upon example, and even then not as long as we live in this mortal life, for we will have to go even beyond the grave before we reach that perfection and shall be like God."
--Joseph Fielding Smith
“What we do in this life is chart a course leading to eternal life. That course begins here and now and continues in the realms ahead. We must determine in our hearts and in our souls, with all the power and ability we have, that from this time forward we will press on in righteousness; by so doing we can go where God and Christ are. If we make that firm determination, and are in the course of our duty when this life is over, we will continue in that course in eternity. That same spirit that possesses our bodies at the time we depart from this mortal life will have power to possess our bodies in the eternal world. If we go out of this life loving the Lord, desiring righteousness, and seeking to acquire the attributes of godliness, we will have that same spirit in the eternal world, and we will then continue to advance and progress until an ultimate, destined day when we will possess, receive, and inherit all things.”
--Bruce R. McConkie
“I told them I was but a man, and they must not expect me to be perfect; if they expected perfection from me, I should expect it from them; but if they would bear with my infirmities and the infirmities of the brethren, I would likewise bear with their infirmities.”
--Joseph Smith
"...I do not even believe that there is a single revelation, among the many God has given to the Church, that is perfect in its fulness. The revelations of God contain correct doctrine and principle, so far as they go; but it is impossible for the poor, weak, low, grovelling, sinful inhabitants of the earth to receive a revelation from the Almighty in all its perfections. He has to speak to us in a manner to meet the extent of our capacities...
If an angel should come into this congregation, or visit any individual of it, and use the language he uses in heaven, what would we be benefitted? Not any, because we could not understand a word he said. When angels came to visit mortals, they have to condescend to and assume, more or less, the condition of mortals, they have to descend to our capacities in order to communicate with us. I make these remarks to show you that the kingdom of Heaven is not yet complete upon the earth. Why? Because the people are not prepared to receive it in its completeness, for they are not complete or perfect themselves.
The laws that the Lord has given are not fully perfect, because the people could not receive them in their perfect fulness; but they can receive a little here and a little there, a little to-day and a little to-morrow, a little more next week, and a little more in advance of that next year, if they make a wise improvement upon every little they receive; if they do not, they are left in the shade, and the light which the Lord reveals will appear darkness to them, and the kingdom of heaven will travel on and leave them groping. Hence, if we wish to act upon the fulness of the knowledge that the Lord designs to reveal, little by little, to the inhabitants of the earth, we must improve upon every little as it is revealed."
--Brigham Young
"For me, the plan of salvation must be a system that is pure and holy in all its points; it must reveal things that no other Church or kingdom can reveal; it must circumscribe the knowledge that is upon the face of the earth, or it is not from God. Such a plan incorporates every system of true doctrine on the earth, whether it be ecclesiastical, moral, philosophical, or civil: it incorporates all good laws that have been made from the days of Adam until now; it swallows up the laws of nations, for it exceeds them all in knowledge and purity; it circumscribes the doctrines of the day, and takes from the right and the left, and brings all truth together in one system, and leaves the chaff to be scattered hither and thither. That is the proof to me, and has been from the beginning, that the principles are pure and holy; and every person living to them will attain through them sanctification."
--Brigham Young
“[God] is using not only his covenant people, but other peoples as well, to consummate a work, stupendous, magnificent, and altogether too arduous for this little handful of Saints to accomplish by and of themselves. …
“All down the ages men bearing the authority of the Holy Priesthood—patriarchs, prophets, apostles and others, have officiated in the name of the Lord, doing the things that he required of them; and outside the pale of their activities other good and great men, not bearing the Priesthood, but possessing profundity of thought, great wisdom, and a desire to uplift their fellows, have been sent by the Almighty into many nations, to give them, not the fulness of the Gospel, but that portion of truth that they were able to receive and wisely use.”
--Elder Orson F. Whitney, as quoted by Howard W. Hunter
"One of the grand fundamental principles of Mormonism is to receive truth, let it come from whence it may . . . We should gather all the good and true principles in the world and treasure them up, or we shall not come out true Mormons."
--Joseph Smith
Now I get to see everyone's reaction. Heh heh heh.
~Paul
16 October 2005
Postscript
"Who are you?"
"Paul."
"Who?"
"Your roommate."
"Oh."
"Do you get morning amnesia?"
"Yeah...like I can't remember anything since I got here, since...like, the weather. Does that make sense?"
"...Sort of."
"Zzzz..."
He won't remember in the morning what he said in the night.
He wakes, looks around, and mumbles a few careless words
before dropping off to sleep.
I humor him.
The simplicity is appealing.
I'm awake, not because someone opened the door
and wandered in at two AM.
I am the Wanderer. I am awake
because I must find solitude,
Alone with a man I cannot stand.
"Paul."
"Who?"
"Your roommate."
"Oh."
"Do you get morning amnesia?"
"Yeah...like I can't remember anything since I got here, since...like, the weather. Does that make sense?"
"...Sort of."
"Zzzz..."
He won't remember in the morning what he said in the night.
He wakes, looks around, and mumbles a few careless words
before dropping off to sleep.
I humor him.
The simplicity is appealing.
I'm awake, not because someone opened the door
and wandered in at two AM.
I am the Wanderer. I am awake
because I must find solitude,
Alone with a man I cannot stand.
14 October 2005
Yes, Yes, I KNOW there are two other posts I need to write!
But I can't just now! All I can do is babble here.
Japanese midterms! I hope yours went really well, Emmett--you had your Japanese oral on Thursday, wasn't it? I had my oral this morning, and I don't know my score yet, but my teacher said I only made one real mistake. I finished the written exam about an hour and a half ago, and manged to pull a 96.1%. n_n
Remember how I took the challenge test for physical science at the beginning of the semester and got an A? Well, despite that, I'm still going to class and taking notes. I'm not doing any of the work, because that's just stupid, but I still go hear the lectures. Why? Because I'm me. What else would you expect? Anyway, circumstances worked out such that I found myself coordinating a small study group yesterday in preparation for the big test (that I don't have to take). Three other people came and we reviewed the concepts, made sure everyone knew what they were doing, and I answered a bunch of questions. I found it extremely satisfying, and that thinking about how to relate the concepts in my own words made me understand them slightly better. ... Just thought I'd mention how cool it was.
Okay. I'm done. I laugh at anyone who expected emotional posts this time around.
~Paul
x_x <=== In a weird mood of an entirely different sort
Japanese midterms! I hope yours went really well, Emmett--you had your Japanese oral on Thursday, wasn't it? I had my oral this morning, and I don't know my score yet, but my teacher said I only made one real mistake. I finished the written exam about an hour and a half ago, and manged to pull a 96.1%. n_n
Remember how I took the challenge test for physical science at the beginning of the semester and got an A? Well, despite that, I'm still going to class and taking notes. I'm not doing any of the work, because that's just stupid, but I still go hear the lectures. Why? Because I'm me. What else would you expect? Anyway, circumstances worked out such that I found myself coordinating a small study group yesterday in preparation for the big test (that I don't have to take). Three other people came and we reviewed the concepts, made sure everyone knew what they were doing, and I answered a bunch of questions. I found it extremely satisfying, and that thinking about how to relate the concepts in my own words made me understand them slightly better. ... Just thought I'd mention how cool it was.
Okay. I'm done. I laugh at anyone who expected emotional posts this time around.
~Paul
x_x <=== In a weird mood of an entirely different sort
11 October 2005
Another Poem... Or Two....
Upon Lacking the Genuine Article
Mementos
scattered around the room
hiding in corners
call up sweet times
Trophies
standing proudly on my desk
hard-earned through fire and trial
celebrate friendship and victory
Talismans
pulsing with magic
at the barest touch and glance
carry me though time and space
Memories
couched in my breast
filling my mind
be a strength to me
...yeah. All the little photos and random objects I have that remind me of you guys mean so much more to me now that you yourselves are not easily accessible. If I ever get ahold of a digital camera for myself, I'm going to turn into the sort of person who takes pictures of everything and, later in life, annoys his kids with the sheer quantity of souvenirs I keep.
I still feel like writing, so I'll put one of my old poems in here. Unfortunately, I have to search very diligently, because there was never a time when I was writing a whole lot of good poetry. *ducks thrown objects from audience*
Wow, I need to start writing poetry consistently again. Most of my old stuff I can't actually show now.... Okay, here's a really old one. I don't remember if I've showed this one to anyone before....
Deja Vu
This tune I hear,
These steps I learn,
Echo slowly in my mind.
I step in time
And learn to dance through life,
But echoes in my mind remain.
I know these steps;
I've gone through them before,
And this song I know,
Once, long ago.
I've done this before,
And recollection is a breath away.
But all that remains to me
Of this short dance
Is a faint chorus,
Familiar,
Of echoes
Through the years.
~Paul
Mementos
scattered around the room
hiding in corners
call up sweet times
Trophies
standing proudly on my desk
hard-earned through fire and trial
celebrate friendship and victory
Talismans
pulsing with magic
at the barest touch and glance
carry me though time and space
Memories
couched in my breast
filling my mind
be a strength to me
...yeah. All the little photos and random objects I have that remind me of you guys mean so much more to me now that you yourselves are not easily accessible. If I ever get ahold of a digital camera for myself, I'm going to turn into the sort of person who takes pictures of everything and, later in life, annoys his kids with the sheer quantity of souvenirs I keep.
I still feel like writing, so I'll put one of my old poems in here. Unfortunately, I have to search very diligently, because there was never a time when I was writing a whole lot of good poetry. *ducks thrown objects from audience*
Wow, I need to start writing poetry consistently again. Most of my old stuff I can't actually show now.... Okay, here's a really old one. I don't remember if I've showed this one to anyone before....
Deja Vu
This tune I hear,
These steps I learn,
Echo slowly in my mind.
I step in time
And learn to dance through life,
But echoes in my mind remain.
I know these steps;
I've gone through them before,
And this song I know,
Once, long ago.
I've done this before,
And recollection is a breath away.
But all that remains to me
Of this short dance
Is a faint chorus,
Familiar,
Of echoes
Through the years.
~Paul
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