﻿<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?><rss version="2.0"><channel><title>virgiljvalcon's Xanga</title><link>http://virgiljvalcon.xanga.com/</link><description>Latest Xanga weblog from virgiljvalcon</description><language>en-us</language><ttl>60</ttl><image><title>The Weblog Community</title><url>http://s.xanga.com/images/xangalogobutton.gif</url><link>http://virgiljvalcon.xanga.com/</link></image><item><title>New Format, New ideas, New perspectives</title><link>http://virgiljvalcon.xanga.com/639060701/new-format-new-ideas-new-perspectives/</link><guid>http://virgiljvalcon.xanga.com/639060701/new-format-new-ideas-new-perspectives/</guid><pubDate>Thu, 24 Jan 2008 00:20:41 GMT</pubDate><description>How is the world treating you, my fellow human beings, fellow patrons of electronic ideas and communities.&amp;nbsp; I have to admit that it has been awhile since my last post, since my last post, since my last post since my, key the broken record.&amp;nbsp; So I have thought long and hard about what to do with my xanga page.&amp;nbsp; I seldom feel the need to expound upon things philosophical, theosophical, or importantosophical.&amp;nbsp; I labored mightily with the self-induced pressure to wax eloquently about significant issues but this task almost never resulted in a post.&amp;nbsp; So I said screw it, but in more colorful language, I will write about what I seem to be into a lot lately, escapism.&amp;nbsp; Judge if you will, but we all know what a famous Jew said about throwing the first stone. Therefore my new page will be a discussion concerning and ramblings inspired by the latest form of escapism to capture my mind, heart, and soul.&amp;nbsp; &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Without further &lt;a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impotence" target="_new"&gt;&lt;span style="text-decoration: line-through;"&gt;impotence&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, oops I mean impedance of the ramblings and the considering of the &lt;a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immortal_Iron_Fist" target="_new"&gt;Immortal Iron Fist&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp; I just reread the Immortal Iron Fist collection written by Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction*.&amp;nbsp; I have read this collection 3 or 4 times and it still keeps me interested and entertained.&amp;nbsp; I feel like I am experiencing a classic Kung-Fu movie in comic format, actually this comic is better than that.&amp;nbsp; This comic is one of those reads where you do not even realize that you are reading; the comic disappears, the reader disappears and all that is left is the story.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Essentially Danny Rand is one of the best martial artist on this world and his fighting the good fight against the darkness and corruption that abounds in comic books, i.e. the hordes of &lt;a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HYDRA" target="_new"&gt;Hydra&lt;/a&gt;, mystical kung fu baddies and the registration act.&amp;nbsp; This books a tremendous amount of depth to the mythos of the Iron Fist.&amp;nbsp; The reader learns that there have been many Iron Fists in the past and all have been warrior protectors.&amp;nbsp; While this collection deepens the mythos of Iron Fist it also propels him in a new direction.&amp;nbsp; There seems to be an "&lt;a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070034/" target="_new"&gt;Enter the Dragon&lt;/a&gt;" style Kung Fu tournament on the horizon for Danny and I cannot wait to read the issues dealing with this (I just checked on &lt;a href="http://www.amazon.com/Immortal-Iron-Fist-Capital-Premiere/dp/0785129928/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;s=books&amp;amp;qid=1201137214&amp;amp;sr=8-2" target="_new"&gt;Amazon&lt;/a&gt; and it comes out in June, yeah baby pre-order). &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;As&amp;nbsp; I said before I really enjoy this story because it sucks you right into the action and the action flows deep and fast like river.&amp;nbsp; That being said I can feel my attention starting to fade and I can only assume that the reader's will soon follow.&amp;nbsp; So cutting it short; Iron Fist rocks, please read it and enjoy.&amp;nbsp; &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;best wishes to you and yours. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;  &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;*and art from David Aja, Travel Foreman, Derek Fridolfs, Russ Heath, John Severin, Sal Buscema, and Tom Palmer&lt;br&gt;</description><comments>http://virgiljvalcon.xanga.com/639060701/new-format-new-ideas-new-perspectives/#firstcomment</comments></item><item><title>Dream Analysis</title><link>http://virgiljvalcon.xanga.com/624456358/dream-analysis/</link><guid>http://virgiljvalcon.xanga.com/624456358/dream-analysis/</guid><pubDate>Wed, 31 Oct 2007 02:57:26 GMT</pubDate><description>Hello to the few of you who read this.&amp;nbsp; I have a special treat for you all.&amp;nbsp; Friday night I had weird dream and I am looking for some insight(Freudian, Jungian, whateverian, etc.).&amp;nbsp; So the dream begins in a building, it feels like a combination of a hospital and hotel (I usually do not have recurring dreams but rather recurring locations, so different stuff happens in the same place).&amp;nbsp; I am walking around this place looking for men's bathrooms, because it is my mission (it feels like I have a mission anyway) to destroy the urinals in the bathrooms.&amp;nbsp; To do this I have some James Bondesque supergadget... the exploding peppermint wheel candy.&amp;nbsp; It looks just like a regular piece of candy with red and white stripes but it is has a timer and explodes.&amp;nbsp; Now I am going into the bathrooms and throwing these candies into the urinals anticipating the explosions of peppermint porcelain piss.&amp;nbsp; &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;So i have managed to throw the candies into all of the urinals at this point and I am really pleased with myself until I hear someone say (not sure who or even where the voice came from) "did you hear some guy got hurt by an exploding urinal."&amp;nbsp; All of a sudden I am feeling really guilty so I start to run for the nearest bathroom.&amp;nbsp; As I am running I look down and I notice that I am wearing a nice striped blue button-up shirt, but no pants only blue plaid boxers.&amp;nbsp; I make into the bathroom and rush over to the urinal and see the candies, but they have been peed on.&amp;nbsp; Despite this I reach in and grab the candies from each urinal, and for some reason there is a ton of them.&amp;nbsp; So many in fact that I have to make a basket out of both of my hands and clutch them to my chest just to hold them all.&amp;nbsp; I look down at my hands and see this basket full of sticky, smelly, peppermint bombs.&amp;nbsp; &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;I leave the bathroom and start running for the next one.&amp;nbsp; As I round the corner I see the tall modelesque woman who starts laughing at me.&amp;nbsp; It is only after I hear the laughter that I realize the easy-access-fly in the front of my boxers has come open so that my peener (in honor of LaRue) is peeping out.&amp;nbsp; At this time I wake up&amp;nbsp; and begin to wonder what the hell that was all about.&amp;nbsp; &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Now my question to all of you (all four of you who will read this) what does it mean.&amp;nbsp; Am I destined for a career in urinal terrorism with a small dose of exhibitionism (speaking in reference to the duration of exposure not the length of said member exposed)?&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; I will&amp;nbsp; leave it up to you, my friends.&amp;nbsp; Also please do not pull any punches; if I can take a punch from a little 16 year old girl then I can take one from anyone.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt; &lt;br&gt; </description><comments>http://virgiljvalcon.xanga.com/624456358/dream-analysis/#firstcomment</comments></item><item><title>Picking up the xanga, again</title><link>http://virgiljvalcon.xanga.com/612033358/picking-up-the-xanga-again/</link><guid>http://virgiljvalcon.xanga.com/612033358/picking-up-the-xanga-again/</guid><pubDate>Fri, 24 Aug 2007 21:17:29 GMT</pubDate><description>Hello to the four of you who read my postings.&amp;nbsp; Sorry it has been so long since my last post.&amp;nbsp; I could make excuse but why bore you.&amp;nbsp; So here is a long overdue post:&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;There is a church near my house that has an illuminated reader board and every week or so they put up new inspirational messages (Tom, you have experience with this church).&amp;nbsp; Given my background, pagan and such, I am not very interested in these messages but I am curious sometimes to see what they will put up next.&amp;nbsp; This week's message brought up a question for me.&amp;nbsp; The messages is, "Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom" (or maybe knowledge I cannot remember right now).&amp;nbsp; So my question is why fear?&amp;nbsp; Does fear have another connotation in Christian theology?&amp;nbsp; So I looked this word up on Merriam Webster online and saw two pertinent definitions: &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;1)&amp;nbsp; &lt;span class="sense_break"&gt;&lt;span class="sense_content"&gt;&lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger&lt;/span&gt; &lt;br&gt; 2) &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-style: italic;" class="sense_break"&gt;&lt;span class="sense_break"&gt;&lt;span class="sense_break"&gt;&lt;span class="sense_content"&gt;profound reverence and awe especially toward God.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class="sense_break"&gt;&lt;span class="sense_break"&gt;&lt;span class="sense_break"&gt;&lt;span class="sense_content"&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;I do not understand how one goes from definition 1 to definition 2.&amp;nbsp; Why is the word fear used instead of respect or another synonym of respect?&amp;nbsp; Because I come from a non-Christian background it is hard for me to read the sign and not understand it through def. 1.&amp;nbsp; But I am pretty sure that def 2 is the one preferred by those who put up the message.&amp;nbsp; I am not trying to be offensive or disrespectful&amp;nbsp; but I am honestly curious as to why this word is used over others that seems to have a less negative connotation within their definitions.&amp;nbsp; So my question is why this word and not another?&amp;nbsp; Any help would be greatly appreciated.&amp;nbsp; &lt;br&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;</description><comments>http://virgiljvalcon.xanga.com/612033358/picking-up-the-xanga-again/#firstcomment</comments></item><item><title>Monday, February 19, 2007</title><link>http://virgiljvalcon.xanga.com/571507379/item/</link><guid>http://virgiljvalcon.xanga.com/571507379/item/</guid><pubDate>Mon, 19 Feb 2007 14:14:53 GMT</pubDate><description>thanks to &lt;br&gt;Matt (&lt;a target="_new" href="http://www.xanga.com/home.aspx?user=cheapham"&gt;http://www.xanga.com/home.aspx?user=cheapham&lt;/a&gt;) and JR(&lt;a target="_new" href="http://www.xanga.com/home.aspx?user=thedreadpiratestan"&gt;http://www.xanga.com/home.aspx?user=thedreadpiratestan&lt;/a&gt;) for this &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;1. YOUR SPY NAME: (middle name and current street name)&lt;br&gt;Lee Smarr (if only the last letter as a t, but alas I am doomed to be the spy sent in before Bond that disappears and dies for Queen and Country)&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;2. YOUR MOVIE STAR NAME: (grandfather/grandmother on your dad's side, your favorite candy)&lt;br&gt;Charlie GummieBears (comedic character actor, under appreciated and under payed)&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;3. YOUR RAP NAME: (first initial of first name, first three or four letters of your last name)&lt;br&gt;JJon (awh man, I sound like some teenage rapper, with a polo shirt and popped collar)&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;4. YOUR GAMER TAG: (a favorite color, a favorite animal)&lt;br&gt;greenbear (not very cool, but definitely earthy)&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born)&lt;br&gt;Lee Billings (Can you see the handlebar mustache, isn't glorious)&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;6.
YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (first 3 letters of your last name, last 3 letters
of mother's maiden name, first 3 letters of your pet's name)&lt;br&gt;Jonbillcap ("there is another Jonbillcap..." nope doesn't work, who would be impressed by Jonbillcap?)&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;7. JEDI NAME: (middle name spelled backwards, your mom's maiden name spelled backward)&lt;br&gt;Eel Lliberk (just like my spy name, destined to being a supporting character who's death&amp;nbsp; galvanizes the others&amp;nbsp; to action)&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;8. PORN STAR NAME: (first pet's name, the street you grew up on)&lt;br&gt;Leena Collier (I'm guessing I have an operation in the future, the only question is c- or d-cup)&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;9. SUPERHERO NAME: ("The", your favorite color, the automobile your mom drives)&lt;br&gt;The Green 4Runner (I am guessing from this name I would be some sort of wildchild hero who grew up in the jungle)&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;10. YOUR ACTION HERO NAME: (first name of a main character in the last movie you watched, last food you ate)&lt;br&gt;Kumar Stew (everything witty thing I think to type sounds racist so maybe silence is the best option for this one)&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;</description><comments>http://virgiljvalcon.xanga.com/571507379/item/#firstcomment</comments></item><item><title>People not to screw with</title><link>http://virgiljvalcon.xanga.com/570476840/people-not-to-screw-with/</link><guid>http://virgiljvalcon.xanga.com/570476840/people-not-to-screw-with/</guid><pubDate>Thu, 15 Feb 2007 03:12:31 GMT</pubDate><description>My wife and I have been creating a list of people not to screw with.&amp;nbsp; Essentially these are people that you would not want to wrong or get in the way of their plans because they would not stop till justice was served or they felt that retribution had been met.&amp;nbsp; On with the list.&amp;nbsp; Oh by the way this list is in no way complete and we are looking for new names to add to the list.&amp;nbsp; So in no particular order here is the preliminary list:&lt;br&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style="text-decoration: underline;"&gt;Batman&lt;/span&gt;: this should be obvious.&amp;nbsp; Don't mess with the bat.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;img src="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/Jake/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot.jpg" alt=""&gt;&lt;img src="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/Jake/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-1.jpg" alt=""&gt;&lt;span style="text-decoration: underline;"&gt; Malcolm Reynolds&lt;/span&gt;: Firefly and Serenity.&amp;nbsp; Harm him, his crew, or Serenity and you will pay.&amp;nbsp; I keep thinking about when he kicked the guy into Serenity's engine intake.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style="text-decoration: underline;"&gt;Zoe Washburne&lt;/span&gt;: Firefly and Serenity.&amp;nbsp; Quiet, beautiful, loyal and deadly. Need&amp;nbsp; I say more?&amp;nbsp; &lt;a target="_new" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoe_Washburne"&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoe_Washburne&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style="text-decoration: underline;"&gt;Logan&lt;/span&gt;: Yet again obvious&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style="text-decoration: underline;"&gt;Jessica (Niki Sanders alterego&lt;/span&gt;): Heroes &lt;a target="_new" href="http://www.nbc.com/Heroes/"&gt;http://www.nbc.com/Heroes/&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp; She is sexy and can tear people in half.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style="text-decoration: underline;"&gt;Darth Vader&lt;/span&gt;:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a target="_new" href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Darth_Vader"&gt;http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Darth_Vader&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp; I feel ashamed that I did not put Vader at the top of the list and must apologize.&amp;nbsp; I can only hope that my apology is accepted.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style="text-decoration: underline;"&gt;Spike Spiegel&lt;/span&gt;: Cowboy Bebop.&amp;nbsp; Bounty Hunter and Martial Arts expert.&amp;nbsp; Watch the anime and decide for yourself.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style="text-decoration: underline;"&gt;"The Snake Hunting Bunny"&lt;/span&gt;:&amp;nbsp; a youtube video that is awesome.&amp;nbsp; As you know, I am afraid of snakes and take particular enjoyment in seeing them in rough spots.&amp;nbsp; &lt;a target="_new" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEgNe89IzjE"&gt;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEgNe89IzjE&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp; Also the commentary is first class.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style="text-decoration: underline;"&gt;Heero Yuy&lt;/span&gt;: Gundam Wing.&amp;nbsp; Despite the bad outfit, a green tanktop and black spandex shorts, Heero is one bad pilot.&amp;nbsp; There is nothing that can stop him especially in Wing Zero. &lt;a target="_new" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heero_Yuy"&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heero_Yuy&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style="text-decoration: underline;"&gt;Jean Luc Picard&lt;/span&gt;: Star Trek.&amp;nbsp; I am unsure of this one because he is stubborn, like so many on this list, but he is usually bound by the rules, except for the Borg and that is understandable.&amp;nbsp; We still would not mess with him.&amp;nbsp; One of my favorite memories of Picard is when he uses the Enterprise to ram the other ship in Nemesis.&amp;nbsp; What do you think should he be on the list or not?&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style="text-decoration: underline;"&gt;Boba Fett&lt;/span&gt;:&amp;nbsp; Mandolarian Armor and a jetpack, how much more warning does one need. &lt;a target="_new" href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Boba"&gt;http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Boba&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style="text-decoration: underline;"&gt;Brock Samson&lt;/span&gt;:&amp;nbsp; Venture Brothers.&amp;nbsp; Watch any episode of the Venture Brothers and you will see a new way to kill someone.&amp;nbsp; One of the most memorable moments is when Brock kills a guy by sticking a caulking gun in his stomach and then pulls the trigger till caulk oozes from the guy's mouth. &lt;a target="_new" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brock_Samson"&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brock_Samson&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;That is the some of the list so far.&amp;nbsp; I am curious to see what you have to say and who you would like to add.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;</description><comments>http://virgiljvalcon.xanga.com/570476840/people-not-to-screw-with/#firstcomment</comments></item><item><title>the caboose of the tag train</title><link>http://virgiljvalcon.xanga.com/567983140/the-caboose-of-the-tag-train/</link><guid>http://virgiljvalcon.xanga.com/567983140/the-caboose-of-the-tag-train/</guid><pubDate>Mon, 05 Feb 2007 00:48:17 GMT</pubDate><description>Hi again,&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;I have been tagged, and so here it is.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;1) For the first 3-4 years of my life I had a career as a dog.&amp;nbsp; I ate out of the dogfood dish, drank from the waterbowl, and went to the bathroom in the yard.&amp;nbsp; Going to the bathroom outside usually was not that big of a deal because we lived in the country, but sometimes we would visit my grandmother in town and I would use her yard like I would use my yard, so there I was peeing in the lawn as cars drove by.&amp;nbsp; My career as a dog came to a tragic end as I met my doggie destiny, in the form of white horse.&amp;nbsp; I was chasing it and it did not take kindly to being chased so it kicked me.&amp;nbsp; When I was little and told this story I said that I flew like Superman after the horse kicked; I am not sure that this really did happen but it makes for a good story.&amp;nbsp; Thus ended my dog days, because it is hard to be a dog in a hip cast.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;2) I enjoy seeing things blow up.&amp;nbsp; If you ever find yourself bored and have in your possession a can of Coleman lantern fuel and a high velocity hunting rifle you have to try this:&amp;nbsp; First, find a place that is not in a state of high flammability, for example a wheat field is not a good choice.&amp;nbsp; Second, find a rag to use as a fuse,&amp;nbsp; douse it in Coleman fuel and then stick in the top of the fuel can and light it, do not worry about the can starting on fire it won't matter in few minutes.&amp;nbsp; Next take&amp;nbsp; few steps back from the canister, ready, aim, and fire!!!&amp;nbsp; As the bullet penetrates the canister it compresses the fuel just enough to make it extremely volatile, and the fuse, aka the flaming rag, ignites this mixture of fuel and air and turns it into the most beautiful flaming mushroom cloud.&amp;nbsp; The mushroom cloud reaches about 20 feet into the air and is some the prettiest flames one could hope to see.&amp;nbsp; For extra special effect, try this at night, it lights the surrounding area up nicely.&amp;nbsp; Also, after the fire has died down walk over to where the canister sat and step on the ground next to it.&amp;nbsp; You should see pretty little blue flames spring to life where you stepped.&amp;nbsp; oh yeah, obligatory disclaimer, do not try this at home, try it at someone else's home.&amp;nbsp; &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;3) I snore something fierce.&amp;nbsp; My family, excluding my wife who somehow sleeps through it, cannot sleep in the same room as me because I am so loud.&amp;nbsp; I think it has to do with a baseball, my nose and a deviated septum and also bad allergies.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;4) I am a big science fiction fan.&amp;nbsp; If it it has spaceships and lasers then I am in love.&amp;nbsp; It does not matter if it is the worse scifi story ever I will find something to like about.&amp;nbsp; In conjunction with this I am huge star wars fan, but I confident enough in my appreciation of star wars to take the good with the bad, for example George Lucas, I love the guy and I hate the guy, but I assume most fans feel this way.&amp;nbsp; &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;5) I want to eat reindeer and caribou, I am curious to see how the measure up to elk.&amp;nbsp; I do not have to kill the reindeer or caribou but if that is what it took to try some so be it.&amp;nbsp; I am not against hunting but I am against trophy hunting, or salt-lick hunting, come on people is that really hunting?&amp;nbsp; I do not think so.&amp;nbsp; Please don't get me started on this topic.&amp;nbsp; &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;6) I am afraid of snakes.&amp;nbsp; No matter how small things are I am terrified of them.&amp;nbsp; Though this fear has abated some what lately, I can now watch movies with snakes in them, Snakes on a Plane, but in real life way too scary.&amp;nbsp; When my brother was here year ago we to the St. Louis zoo.&amp;nbsp; He want to go into the reptile house and so we went in.&amp;nbsp; I spent the whole time hiding behind my wife.&amp;nbsp; Now to set the stage, I am about 6'3" and 215 lbs, and my wife is about 5'2" and i do not how many lbs but she is a small lady.&amp;nbsp; So picture this a guy hiding, as well as he can, behind is wife while they look through glass at snakes.&amp;nbsp; Kinda funny huh?&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;I titled this "The caboose of the Tag train" everyone I know on xanga has been tagged already and therefore this branch of the game ends with me.&amp;nbsp; &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;</description><comments>http://virgiljvalcon.xanga.com/567983140/the-caboose-of-the-tag-train/#firstcomment</comments></item><item><title>Christmas part 2</title><link>http://virgiljvalcon.xanga.com/564668910/christmas-part-2/</link><guid>http://virgiljvalcon.xanga.com/564668910/christmas-part-2/</guid><pubDate>Sun, 21 Jan 2007 18:04:39 GMT</pubDate><description>Hello once again.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Here is the second part of my post; Christmas, what does one do with it in a multi-faith family?&amp;nbsp; Building from my last post I want to discuss the celebration of Christmas.&amp;nbsp; Given my family's diversity in beliefs how do we celebrate Christmas in a way that addresses all of our desires for it but still respects all of our beliefs?&amp;nbsp; I will discuss the nature of Christmas in general before really getting into my family's Christmas practices.&amp;nbsp; &lt;br&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; What is Christmas in the popular culture of American society today?&amp;nbsp; Is it the celebration of Jesus' birth and the beginning of his life on earth? Is it a family holiday that promotes unity and goodwill within the family and society on a larger scale?&amp;nbsp; Is it a commodity driven holiday in the marketplace religion of America that celebrates and reifies the pantheon of the economy, i.e. money, commodity, and consumption (and poor Santa Claus could be seen as the embodiment of all of these)?&amp;nbsp; Honestly, in American society Christmas is all of these things and what we, the celebrants, are left with is how to negotiate the multifaceted nature of Christmas.&amp;nbsp; I choose the word "negotiate" purposefully because that is how one must approach the celebration of Christmas, as a negotiation between different people with different ideas of what this holiday should be and how it should be celebrated.&amp;nbsp; Let me explain this a little more completely, as I have state earlier my wife and I are not Christians and as such the Christian element of Christmas is not important to us.&amp;nbsp; Therefore we choose to emphasize different elements of Christmas, especially the elements surrounding family.&amp;nbsp; Some may wonder why we celebrate Christmas at all if we are not Christian, and we have decided that there are aspects of Christmas that we value, the emphasis on family, goodwill and etc.&amp;nbsp; So we created our own way of celebrating Christmas from the multiple ways accepted by our society.&amp;nbsp; Many of you will agree with approach, one takes what they like and drops the rest.&amp;nbsp; &lt;br&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; The tricky part is celebrating Christmas with with people who have a variety of different approaches to the holiday.&amp;nbsp; When we celebrate it with Dawn's mother and her family there is more of an emphasis on Christ and the other Christian aspects of Christmas, and this is also the case when we celebrate it with any of my grandparents.&amp;nbsp; And yet when we celebrate it iwith my parents and siblings we emphasize the family aspect of Christmas.&amp;nbsp; Underlying the meshing of these different ways of celebrating Christmas is a feeling of mutual respect and a desire to get along with each other.&amp;nbsp; Therefore I know that the Christian elements of Christmas are very important to some and I respect their beliefs and do not try to force my preferences upon them and they feel the same way.&amp;nbsp; This is not something we have sat down and discussed but it is there and is a large aspect of our relationships and we value our relationship over our particular preferences for celebrating the holiday.&amp;nbsp; Now I anticipate a point in the future where Dawn and I will have to sit down and discuss the celebration of Christmas with our families.&amp;nbsp; I am thinking specifically of when we have kids.&amp;nbsp; Both Dawn and I do not want to emphasize the consumer aspect of Christmas with our children and therefore we will be downplaying the gift-giving aspect of Christmas and focus more upon family and traditional ways of celebration.&amp;nbsp; But we will have to discuss how our extended families participate in the gift-giving tradition, because grandparents and great-grandparents are going to want to spoil the kids and all of us will have to negotiate how this will be done, perhaps spending limits, or something along those lines, but in the end it will be a negotiation, and not a unilateral decree by Dawn and I.&amp;nbsp; Therefore all of the family can come together and celebrate Christmas in a way that does step on anybody else's toes.&amp;nbsp; It is at this point that a feel the need to make a disclaimer; I am from Montana and deeply ingrained in my world view is, as my friends have described it, a rugged individualism, i.e. to each their own as long as it does not negatively affect another.&amp;nbsp; With this perspective in mind one can see how it informs my earlier statements.&amp;nbsp; That being said, the celebration of Christmas between diverse groups needs to be a negotiation between these groups and necessitates a less selfish perspective.&amp;nbsp; &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; I have a little story that relates to the American Christmas:&lt;br&gt;&lt;div style="margin-left: 40px;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Christmas and Religion were a pleasant married couple.&amp;nbsp; They had celebrated many anniversaries together and were looking forward to many more.&amp;nbsp; They had a good and caring relationship that complemented each other.&amp;nbsp; One day a moving van pulls into the neighbor and stops across the street from Christmas and Religion's house.&amp;nbsp; All day the movers work; taking item after item into the house.&amp;nbsp; Every once in awhile Christmas and Religion would stop and watch this endless procession.&amp;nbsp; It reminded them of ants bring food back to their queen. Just an endless line of works marching and hauling. &lt;br&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Near the end of the day a shiny new car pulled up to the house and out stepped a gratuitously beautiful woman.&amp;nbsp; She had the most perfectly dyed hair, an hourglass figure, and a brand new set of boobs to go with it.&amp;nbsp; She was wearing designer shoes that accentuated her handbag perfectly.&amp;nbsp; All in all she was the poster girl of disposable beauty.&amp;nbsp; Her name was Consumerism.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Once all of her things were hauled into the house by the movers she walked across the street and introduced herself to the Christmas and Religion.&amp;nbsp; Christmas was instantly charmed by her suave manners and new boobs, though Religion was less than impressed.&lt;br&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; The next day Consumerism asks Christmas to help her move some furniture in her house and, being the good neighbor that he was, he agreed.&amp;nbsp; Over time she needed a lot of help around the house and Christmas was spending more and more time there.&amp;nbsp; Religion was not blind and saw this happening and even tried talking with Christmas but he said nothing was going on, Consumerism just had a lot of stuff that needed to be moved around or fixed. &lt;br&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Eventually years passed and this pattern continued until one day Christmas did not come home anymore.&amp;nbsp; He stayed the night.&amp;nbsp; Religion saw this coming but still could not believe that it had happened, she kept remembering how happy she and Christmas had been before Consumerism moved into their neighborhood. The next day she went to Consumerism's house and tried to talk with Christmas.&amp;nbsp; When he answered the door she did not recognize him.&amp;nbsp; He was wearing a green synthetic shirt with a garish pattern of upon it.&amp;nbsp; His simple yellow hat had been replaced by a shiny golden monstrosity, and glinting through his unbuttoned shirt was platinum jewelery.&amp;nbsp; One can guess how their talk went; it was short and cold, and an onlooker would have said it was like strangers trying to remain civil after a auto accident.&amp;nbsp; Once the talk was done Religion walked home alone and Christmas cranked Consumerism's radio playing the most recent Christmas albums.&lt;br&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; The next day a moving van appeared and the movers packed Consumerism's things while Religion looked on.&amp;nbsp; She overheard one of the movers say that they had a long drive to Hollywood ahead of them.&amp;nbsp; Christmas and Consumerism moved to Hollywood where they still live together.&amp;nbsp; Religion is still wondering what happened and how she can get Christmas back. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;  &lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br&gt;</description><comments>http://virgiljvalcon.xanga.com/564668910/christmas-part-2/#firstcomment</comments></item><item><title>Thursday, January 04, 2007</title><link>http://virgiljvalcon.xanga.com/560728674/item/</link><guid>http://virgiljvalcon.xanga.com/560728674/item/</guid><pubDate>Thu, 04 Jan 2007 16:09:29 GMT</pubDate><description>Hello to all my fellow xangaites.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I have decide to write on Christmas, sort of.  I know that this post is late but so were the packages I sent home, so at least I am consistent.  My wife and I have discussed Christmas endlessly this season as we are both at a loss of how to celebrate it.  Neither of us is Christian but we both have relatively Christian families, not sure what this means exactly but it does seem to describe them pretty well.  To illustrate my family's religious dynamic let me describe them to you.  My father's mother is Baptist, my mother's parents are also Baptist.  These three are the easiest to classify in my family.  My father's father was Catholic but had a falling out with the Church because he married my grandmother, who was a divorcee with a daughter.  The Church thought my grandfather was sinning so he left.  After that he would take my father and his siblings and my grandmother into the mountains on Sunday as a type sabbath.  I never did really talk with my grandfather about these trips and what i meant to him but the idea has been extremely influential in my father and I's lives.  My father may be Christian, but I do not know, he does not attend a Church but he may believe in Jesus.  I do know that nature holds an important place in his life.  Every year my father and brother, and me when I can, go elk hunting in a the same place.  My father has hunted this area for over 30 years now.  This is where he goes to recharge himself, and from the way I see religion this is an essential aspect of religion.  &lt;br /&gt;My mother’s religious beliefs encompass some new age aspects, like reincarnation, and karma though it may not be exactly like the Hindu or Buddhist conception of karma.  My sister also falls into this category in some ways though I have not talked with her about religion for a while now.  My brother is perhaps one of the truest examples of atheist I have ever met.  I asked him last Christmas if he had any religious beliefs, and he simply said no.  I claim that this is the truest form of atheism because he has not set science up as his religion, there is not seeking of ultimate truth in science for my brother, and he lives everyday without considering questions about ultimate truths, essentially he is a pragmatist.  If it works that is good enough for him.  My wife’s beliefs are similar to my mother’s and sisters in that she believes in reincarnation but she has a healthy dose of agnosticism thrown.&lt;br /&gt;My beliefs are somewhat of a combination of all of these, except perhaps my brother’s.  I have recent taken the label of pagan, but most for reasons of convenience, because I have found it easier to give people a convenient label for my beliefs rather than trying to explain them to someone who is not completely interested in what a I believe and why.  I do have elements of nature worship within my personal belief system.  The longer I am way from my family’s homestead and the area where we hunt the more I come to see the prominence of such places in my beliefs.  On a recent trip home my wife and I flew into Billings, my hometown and I almost cried when I saw the mountains on the skyline and the rolling hills of my family’s land.  Stepping off the plane I knew that I was home.  The air smelt right, not extremely humid like MO, and not smelling of decaying plants.  And I could see for miles, not just 10 or 15, but 50 or 60 miles.  I could make out the snowcapped Beartooth Mountains more than 60 miles away.  To state it simply I was home.  It was marvelous.   So I have elements of nature worship or perhaps more properly described as reverence for nature.  &lt;br /&gt;I also believe in reincarnation and karma.  I see the soul as progressing through life learning.  Each life we learn something new and this journey eventually leads one back to union with the divine force behind existence. This divine force behind existence I see more like the Tao.  One must learn to work with it and not fight it.  If one can work with this force then one can see ways of accomplishing his or her goals more easily.  This is a very Taoist notion; one needs to perform their actions effortlessly.  I also see the need for balancing opposites, much like yin and yang, and once one can balance these opposites one can engage the divine force more completely and act effortlessly. I suppose I should state that I do not see these opposites falling into western notions of dualism where one is all good and the other is all evil, These opposites are not moral terms in any way.  I see morality as a human creation. &lt;br /&gt;I am longwinded and will have to put off my concerns about Christmas until next week.  One more thought, before concluding for a while.  My belief system is continually evolving and therefore there will be areas that I am unsure of but I am willing to discuss these things with you so please ask me questions about these things and I can further refine my thoughts on my beliefs.   &lt;br /&gt;</description><comments>http://virgiljvalcon.xanga.com/560728674/item/#firstcomment</comments></item><item><title>Politics and Bipartisanship</title><link>http://virgiljvalcon.xanga.com/547732551/politics-and-bipartisanship/</link><guid>http://virgiljvalcon.xanga.com/547732551/politics-and-bipartisanship/</guid><pubDate>Wed, 15 Nov 2006 17:29:09 GMT</pubDate><description>After having survived another election year, and another round of mudslinging, I have some thoughts and confessions to offer you.&amp;nbsp; First I must confess this is the first election year that I have not voted.&amp;nbsp; I feel guilty in admitting this but I am very disheartened by my government (can I even call it my government anymore?) and the behavior of those hoping to obtain a seat and therefore status within this structure.&amp;nbsp; I grew up in MT and I am living in MO, so those of you who followed either of these races will understand what I am saying, please stop the mudslinging, name calling, and juvenile behavior to win elections.&amp;nbsp; Who cares if this behavior gets people to vote do they really value their personal goals and aspirations more than being a decent person?&amp;nbsp; Never have I wanted a third party so badly before in my life.&amp;nbsp; McCaskill vs Talent and Tester vs Burns, I was so tired of their shit that I could not care less who won, and therefore I did not vote.&amp;nbsp; I know some of you will call me unAmerican for not upholding my civic duty, and that is your call to make, but have you ever avoid a homeless person, or hung up on a charity phone call, (all of which I have done) then you have not upheld your civic duty either.&amp;nbsp; Who will throw the first stone?&lt;br&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; But enough of this bullshit, who cares whether I voted or not?&amp;nbsp; Let us discuss another aspect of this situation:&amp;nbsp; "Bipartisan," the word.&amp;nbsp; Anwer.com defines it as   "Of, consisting of, or supported by members of two parties, especially two major political parties: &lt;i&gt;a bipartisan resolution."&lt;span style="text-decoration: underline;"&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a target="_new" href="http://www.answers.com/main/ntquery?s=Bipartisan&amp;amp;gwp=13"&gt;http://www.answers.com/main/ntquery?s=Bipartisan&amp;amp;gwp=13&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;When looking at the definition of bipartisan it becomes readily apparent that there are two parties involved.&amp;nbsp; The emphasis, especially in come usage (listen to talk radio, or read news interviews and this becomes self-evident), implies the strict dichotomy of two parties and over the idea of cooperation.&amp;nbsp; If the language used is focused on the fact that two parties are involved how much more difficult is it for the speakers to overcome this focus?&amp;nbsp; I am in no way making the claim that by changing the word used in rhetoric that it will absolutely change how people engage each other.&amp;nbsp; But I am making the claim that language does influence how were see others and does shape, at least in a small degree, how we think about others.&amp;nbsp; Therefore, we should make an effort to emphasize cooperation over division.&amp;nbsp; &lt;br&gt;I would appreciate your comments, on my not voting, on my libeling (not sure if this is a word but it should be) of others behavior and the implied irony of said libeling, or my reading of the word bipartisan.&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/i&gt;</description><comments>http://virgiljvalcon.xanga.com/547732551/politics-and-bipartisanship/#firstcomment</comments></item><item><title>I'm Too Sexy...</title><link>http://virgiljvalcon.xanga.com/538034050/im-too-sexy/</link><guid>http://virgiljvalcon.xanga.com/538034050/im-too-sexy/</guid><pubDate>Sat, 14 Oct 2006 19:31:41 GMT</pubDate><description>My wife and&amp;nbsp; I were in the car yesterday and I'm Too Sexy came on the radio.&amp;nbsp; So I&amp;nbsp; grabbed by sunglasses and started singing and dancing in the car, who wouldn't?&amp;nbsp; My wife then asks me why men love this song so much.&amp;nbsp; So I have pondered this long and hard, at least 20 minutes while checking my email, and I have a couple of theories:&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;1) Right Said Fred is not really singing but is essentially talking which means almost anyone can "sing" this song.&lt;br&gt;2) The simplicity of the beat is dancer friendly to white guys who cannot dance, myself being an example of said white guy.&lt;br&gt;3) This song also speaks to the vain person within all of us.&amp;nbsp; I really do think that I am too sexy for shirt, too sexy for my shirt, so sexy that it hurts. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Well those are the theories that I have come up with so far.&amp;nbsp; What do you think?&lt;br&gt;&lt;br style="display: none;"&gt;</description><comments>http://virgiljvalcon.xanga.com/538034050/im-too-sexy/#firstcomment</comments></item></channel></rss>