Johannesburg Nautical Convention (JNC)

Online Journal of One JNC

Saturday, December 31, 2005

New Year, New Schmear

I think New Years was invented to sell calenders. Seriously. We would only need one calender for the rest of our lives if the year didn't change. Really. Seriously. I'm not joking. In the least bit.

New Years is a funny little human creation. Sure there's a astronomical New Year, but all the weird baggage attached to it is definately human. All I know is that it isn't safe to drive out after 10 PM on New Years.

Have a day off tomrrow, yea.

Friday, December 30, 2005

Extra-Ordinary Poultry

Today I said goodbye to my "Extraordinary Pidgeons" calender and put up my new "Extraordinary Chickens" calender. I'll miss the little feathered rats who graced my wall, the chickens are a bit of a step up. (For anyone not familliar with the "Extraordinary" bits: People breed funky birds and take pictures of them.)

Tuesday, December 27, 2005

Suicide by Train

Today I was reminded of how much I hated working at my job full-time. It just gets to wearing after awhile, I just wanna have a vacation. I haven't had a "real" vacation for a coupla years, I'm sorta jealous of the people I see lounging around the store. Working 40 hours a week at a job I would never have as a career is draining. I remember when I was working to pay rent how misrable I felt a majority of the time. I'd hate to think that that was what a majority of Americans feel day after day.......

If working at B&N was my career I would throw myself in front of a train.

Saw 'Kong. Thought it was long. It sorta had to be long so the characters could interact in the ways that they did, but I don't think that movies should be so long that you need to engage in a bodily function. Totally pull you outa the experience.

Going to see the Lion Witch & Wardrode again tomorrow, I wanna support the film so they make more. :) I really hope they plug through and make "The Last Battle"..... I could die a happy man.

Sunday, December 25, 2005

Definitions

Magic? Too hokey. Miraculous? Too overused. Thaumaturgic? Too esoteric.

I'd like to consider the birth of Jesus. History hinges upon the day that the Word was made flesh. It was the defining moment in the sad story of our beleagured world.

"A thrill of Hope, the weary World rejoices."

The World is alive, you know. The Bible says that it's in constant pain, like one in childbirth. It's been injured by decisions of man. It suffers and it cries out.

"For yonder breaks, a New and Glorious morn."

How long had It waited? How long had we pined? We wrote stories about saviours and heroes, legends and myths about a person or persons who would rescue us from the grave.

"Fall on your knees! Hear the Angel's voices!"

And then He came. Everything about His birth was a source of wonder. The nature of His conception, the time into which He arrived, the events that swirled around His birth, the kings and peasants who paid Him homage. The whole thing simply 'verberates with a sense of the Unworldly, the Holy.

"Christ is the Lord!"

Perhaps for that one night, when He was born, the Earth felt a respite, and "the soul felt its worth."

Today is the day when the Holy reaches down to the mundane.

Saturday, December 24, 2005

La-la-la-la La-la-la-la La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-laaaaaaaaaa

Christmas..........

Is a time to realize how screwed up things are. To get to work I have to wade through traffic for nearly an hour. People are moody and demanding. They snap and are inconsiderate.

Is a time to realize how much your family bugs you. How they know, better then most people know to rub you fur the wrong way.

Is a time to set yourself apart from it all, get away from the crush the rush and the bloat.

I'll probably feel better about it tonight.

Tuesday, December 20, 2005

Break'n Up

I like breaks...... and I don't. I usually do best when I have a clear goal of what I'm supposed to do during a day so having these long stretches of nothing much in particular happening can be wearing sometimes.

Gonna see the big monkey movie today.

Work is obnoxiously busy, I'd say we're moving more books this year then in years past. This years Christmas season seemed to start a little later this year because of the unseasonbly warm weather but now that it's come down to the line people cae coming out in droves.

Friday, December 16, 2005

4.0

4.0? 4.0 what? Blood sugar? Alcohol in the bloodstream ratio? Nope...... My grades for this semester.......

Boo-Yah (sp?)

One grade that I'm particulary proud of is my Spanish 4 "A." When I started put doing this Spanish thing the 4th level seemed insurmountable, impossible. It made me sincerely depressed just thinking about it. Welp, it's all behind me now..... If I were to say, subconsciously, that I had a goal these last two years it would have been to pass Spanish 4, the "A" is the proverbial icing on the fatty carbo laden baked good.

Thank God.

Can I hear it again!?

Thank GOD!

Thursday, December 15, 2005

Ring in the Holidays.....

Terms up!

I believe I've netted at least three A's, the fourth A may be a B. Have to wait a week 'fore I find out....

Glad to hear that the Iraqi elections were fairly peaceful... Nice to hear goo new every once and a while.

Tuesday, December 13, 2005

Dead dead dead

Two people who I knew in High School died over the weekend. One got his brains bashed out in a scuffle, the other died on a boat of a drug overdose. Weird.

I also thought I saw a girl I knew pretty well in a crowd. But she died in a car accident a few years ago. Made me feel uncomfortable.

Friday, December 09, 2005

The Importance of Villains

Tilda Swinton was absolutely smack on the dollar for her portrayl of the White Witch in The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. She was regal without seeming fake, and had an edge without every collapsing into histrionics. Brillaint. The fact that she wore Aslan's mane into the battle was inspired.

I enjoyed the movie a great deal, but since the books are dear to my heart, it didn't quite hit the bullseye. My big problem was Aslan's voice. I immediately recognized it as Liam Neison. That sorta screwed it up 'cuz I knew of the actor, and for someone to be the voice of an allegorical Jesus they ought to have used an unknown.

In a Barrel

Got the final speech outa the way. A woman in the audience said "wow" when I was finished so I think it went pretty darn well.

Friday, December 02, 2005

2nd round

Bamn!

Spanish Term Paper is down....