.::.Music.::.

It is amazing what you can find in lyrics these days, I've found myself actually more drawn towards music that contains lyrics that I consider insightful or clever than I have music that "sounds cool." I think this is because I like to pick apart music by the different parts rather than listen to it as a whole. This is particularly evident in my favorite musicians and bands. Look at the amazing illustrations painted by the lyrics of Amy Lee in Imaginary, or Love Like Winter by AFI for examples.

.::. Lyrics .::.

Shadows are walking in
The darkness of a promised Heaven
Like spirits in a dark and Lonely castle,
They are dancing at a song Of a myriad of voices
With the stares lost in a Secret dimension.
Shadows are crying in the Immensity of a gloomy
Night, Holding in their own all
Their consuming sorrow 
They seem forgotten in the Heavenly garden,
Forsaken in the misery of a Place without time. 

"And shines the light of hope In their eyes no more and no
Emotion will pass through Their heart"
Shadows imprisoned Between dream and reality
In silently wait for a Solemn recall,
They look for consolation in The pale light of god,
In a kingdom in which all Is eternal.

Lyrics can make or break a song. Looking at these lyrics, one might expect a far different song than the one they belong to. This is something I really just love about music. You can do things with it that you never thought possible. I think that is why music is such a huge tool for both Heavenly Father an Lucifer.

.::.MMORPGs.::.

I play a few MMORPGs, Massive Multi-player Online Role-playing Games, I quite enjoy them though perhaps for reasons beyond what one might expect. Rather, I enjoy them in the greatest degree because I get to observe people interacting over a non-standard medium. It amazes me how people will act when hidden behind the assumed anonymity of a screen name. Most don't think about the fact that you use an email to sign up, and an email can often be identified with you and with your other accounts across the internet. Let alone most forums, which are used as a means or medium of communication in MMORPGs, track your IP address giving moderators and administrators access to the general vicinity of where you live. I know this, because I am an administrator and moderator of a few of these forums.

There are individuals that we have a watch on, who seem to bring rukkus to the community, who disrupt social activities and just generally cause problems. I dealt with one such person tonight, and asking why he posted what he did (it was a very vulgar explicit posting that I couldn't even finish reading) he simply said:

"Because you don't know who I am, and therefore cannot do anything to hurt me."

Something that really isn't true, in fact, his post broke certain standards which not only got him banned forever from the community, but we'll be reporting him to his local authorities because of the nature of his post. You are not anonymous online, the ways you use media are not hidden from the rest of the world. And there are consequences for your actions online.

.::.Avatar.::.

It's rare that I come across a film that I enjoy that I don't have to worry about suggesting to others because "there's this one spot..." that they may be offended by. I'm the first to admit I am very liberal with my media, I watch movies for many different reasons and I've never thought myself to have much of an effect from my media use in that regard. There's really nothing in the media that I have come across that can bother me nearly as much as what happens in "real life". People in general seem not to realize just how terrible they treat one another, I wish it weren't so but nothing really surprises me anymore in the form of human behavior.

However, all this aside, I really enjoyed Avatar. The storyline was not all that great, it's been done before in the form of Tarzan and many other films. Which by the way, makes me think of that song by Barenaked Ladies "It's All Been Done" which has a rather fun music video from the pet's perspective. There was really only one moment in the movie that I could fathom someone taking issue with, and it was the two aliens implied as mating for life. Though there really wasn't much shown. There was very little vulgar language used as well.

Crossfire

Working at Seagull book I have the opportunity to read most of the LDS fiction and non-fiction that comes out. Often that means forcing myself to push through novels that have the same plot with different names and places. Crossfire though was a nice new taste for me. It was not the same as the previous two in the series Freefall and Lockdown. And it really was not another Anita Stansfield who basically writes Harlequin novels for LDS readers.

28 Days

I love the way Sandra Bullock portrays a woman dealing with severe emotional problems and substance abuse. To me there were several quotes that stood out to me

"Don't be someone else's slogan because you are poetry." this is so true, and yet so many women in today's world do not understand this, they settle for something that is less than they deserve and they do not give themselves enough credit for the wonderful women they truly are.

"This isn't a way to live. This is a way to die." this to me is also true, living with substance dependency like that, and trying to live with those psychological issues that she did in the movie, I think that is a way to die not a way to live.