The Kernel of a Story: What Makes it Fantasy, What Makes it Sci-Fi?

This posting started as a comment on a friend's Facebook posting. Yes, the original version was plenty lengthy, which is why I chose to re-post and revise it on my blog. The revision does not stray from the original comment that much, save for the Wells-Verne intro, and going into one or a few subjects a bit more than I did originally, and maybe correcting some small areas in spelling and/or grammar - or just to set it up better as a blog posting, rather than a first reaction commentary. 

The Morose Vision Of Postmodern Millienial Man

I watched the movie Equals a couple nights ago. It's your usual trendy post-apocalyptic, quasi 1984 style story, mixed in with the usual liberal theme of repression. Though now it would seem like liberals have turned on their once favorite president, John F. Kennedy. Particularly, it is in regard to the rather optimistic space race in which the United States worked hard to be the first country with a man on the moon. 

Continuatio De Natura, Supernatura, Praeternatura, Et Subnatura

It is something of an irony that materialists claim to rely on natural science, considering the origin of nature as a term in humanity comes from the Egyptian word (transliterated) neter, which was their term for a god. The use of natural science in the modern materialist sense becomes somewhat like an oxymoron. Suppose that could be reason for why they choose to be defined as physicists to avoid such a contradiction of terms.

And Now, Something 'Metaserious'

This comes from a discussion I had recently regarding metaphysics.

May I Have Permission To Make A Not So Serious Posting?

I don't feel like starting posting today with something serious or terribly thoughtful, or anything. More in the mood for witty and funny - or at least what I think is so. For certain, there are those that might disagree about what I consider such, but quite frankly, so what? <.<

Song Lyrics Post 1 - 'Designer Clothes'

Long, long ago (*coughs* high school *coughs*) I used to be in the habit of, not only composing music, but also wrote song lyrics. I somewhat revitalized the music composition habit a few years back. As it is, my first YouTube video on my channel goes back to 2012, with my oldest video being 'Into The Night', which was uploaded July 14, 2012.
 

However my first new song was aptly titled 'Something New', which was uploaded September 7, 2012.  It was the first to be composed on Anvil Studio.

But, as of yet, I haven't returned to writing lyrics. For the meantime, I'll try to update this blog with some of my old lyrics, and see if maybe going through that nostalgia might bring back the passion to write, not just lyrics, but maybe return to other writing projects that have been put on hold for a while.

To Trust Modern Critics and Publishers or Not? - A Real and Serious Question

I think I may be getting about ready to reboot a story I started writing about eight years ago.  After listening to the discussion between Vox Day and Stefan Molyneux, it helped give me some confidence that there may be publishers out there that might give me a shot.  Vox Day talked about his publishing house Castalia House, and how he claims being on the conservative side of things, as well as interested in classic science fiction and fantasy. Even more promising were the references to J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and G.K. Chesterton regarding the style of books they are interested in publishing. The general theme of the books that I have as works in progress - The Duet, Burning Embers, and Harmakhis - line up quite a bit to that.

Distortions of Culture and Person

This is something difficult to write about, and can easily be misconstrued. As it is, the way humanity can misconstrue things is at the heart of what I am writing about here. In writing of it, though, I would like it to be a candid sort of thing, where we step back and take off our blinders for a moment and consider how it is possible that we can go terribly wrong, even while we may have the best intentions at heart.

Pilate's Pondering: What is Truth?

Most people know who Pontius Pilate is, and that, in the Gospels, it is accounted his line of questioning our Lord about what is truth. Because it's common knowledge, and people can Google 'Pilate' and 'What is Truth?' to find the exact passage, I'm not going to cite it. Plus, this posting isn't about the passage as much as how Pilate represents a particular aspect and attitude within our world, both among believers in God, and those that don't believe.   

On Pleasure and the Examined Life

"[A]s the satisfactions of the body decay, in the same measure my desire for the pleasures of good talk and my delight in them increase. "

- Plato, The Republic, 1.32 [328δ]

In context, this quote is the start of a discourse between Socrates and Cephalus, a wealthy old man of some prominence that defines the conversation of justice in book one of The Republic. One has to wonder who this old man is, and, even further, why it is that, after this definition is made, Cephalus himself, who seeks this conversation, is not heard of within the conversation. However, beyond this note of context, I do not wish to go into further elaboration. This may be saved for another time, and maybe after reading Peter J. Steinberger's political theory piece Who Is Cephalus?, as this question does interest me, and I would like to have a more educated opinion to ponder on before writing more on this. Plus, the question of who Socrates is talking to is not the focus for this writing as much as what is being said in the above written quote.  

Comments, Conversations, and Thoughts - Week of 5/16 - 5/22, 2016

Instead of making a whole bunch of catch up posts, I figure I'll wrap up and reflect on the past week through this one post.

Thurday Morning Men's Group Meeting

This morning I went to a meet with a group of local Catholic men, as I often do on Thursdays. We who are in it call it the G-Men, standing for 'God's Men'. From this group, I met the two Teen Life youth group directors for my local parish, as well as a local judge that I consider somewhat of a mentor.  In a certain way, he is like a senior councilman, and one who we look to regarding current legal affairs, be they more regional or national, and what his take is on the current issues.

Introduction - Who Am I?

While not new to blogging, I have not been all that avid a blogger either. Part of that is because, when I first created a blog on Blogger, it had more to do with a virtual world persona than it did with who I am as a real person. The interest in that blog was spurious and mostly related to that character and the rolepay that he was involved in. In writing this blog, I aim to focus more generally on who I am, what my interests are, and, well I suppose go on the business of trying to tell my real life story - or at least however much of it I decide to divulge.