A Modern Mendel

Happy New Year! I still live, just less active on here... just ask me if you need contact info elsewhere... I might write more here later, but we'll see.

Take care. Be warm. Don't forget to breathe.

My brother is currently engaged. I'm going to be a Best Man. I'm so looking forward to this.

Sorry for the borrowed title... but I wanted to post some of my thoughts on love, none of which are particularly novel, but which I want to lay out nonetheless.

A question I wanted to ask a friend earlier... "Although, if I may, one question before you go to bed... what did you mean/envision when you said you hoped that our date would go well? That we'd end up together or that we'd end up learning whether we should be together?"

The thrust of the question is the dichotomy between a couple of things. Those things being those highlighted in 1 Corinthians 13:6, "Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth."

The question is this - If love directs us to move away from one another... does that mean that we've lost love? I don't think so, but it feels so much like it and that's what I'm not sure I understand. Love isn't attachment, obviously, but it could entail attachment to some set of abstracts/concepts. The question is whether attachment to these abstracts (e.g. the description of love, such as agape in the Bible) is inherently a flawed sense of how things are (a la "The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao...") and if not, how we can right ourselves and our perspectives without a metaphorical rock.

Also, really enjoying the Magnetic Fields lately. So I'll embed a Youtube video, like a jerk.



In short: Same old song. Just a new artist.

...and find absolutely awesome.



Also got my tax refund already. Gonna be doing a major computer equipment upgrade soon. Thinking about the following, although I'm going to give my family first crack in the form of b-day presents.

Some sort of mid-line video card:
HIS H685FN1GD Radeon HD 6850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity

High speed RAM and in fairly large chunks:
CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M1A1600C10

High speed storage to replace my aging Raptor (10k drive):
Mushkin Enhanced Chronos Deluxe MKNSSDCR60GB-DX 2.5" 60GB SATA III Synchronous MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

"Definitely pretty cool" processor:
Intel Core i5-2300 Sandy Bridge 2.8GHz (3.1GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor

Reasonably ok motherboard (may wanna go with a better mobo, but I couldn't deny the price):
ASRock Z68 PRO3 GEN3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

Any advice/input is welcome. Although I've done some research already, via Tom's Hardware. The goal here is relatively modest... I wanna play Diablo III and I figure that should be enough to make it run pretty well. After that, well, I'll just have a good gaming system for catching up on older games, if I want and have the time.

( Allow me to share an awesome EP!Collapse )

Also, more awesome music of a different sort.

I'm on my third rotation and my mentor is much less... strict and overbearing. This has brought my mood up considerably even if it is at a slight cost in productivity. Oh well, c'est la vie.

I've now purchased a computer for $200. It's spec'd ok for the price: 2.2ghz Athlon 64 x2, 2gb RAM, 750gb HD and DVD-RW... w/ very few extra features beyond the minimum for its specs.

I've also purchased, recently, a 32" TV (720p, Vizio) for $250.

Total cost for the whole bedroom setup? $450! Or, $465 with shipping and a special delivery charge. Not bad all told!

Also, gotta give props to luagha for recommending woot and 1 sale a day! Thanks!

St. Bernardus Abt 12 - "Ah, hit the spot." This is seriously, an amazing and truly unique beverage. It's just so complex and warm that it's mind-blowing. The malt is heavy, and very flavorful. Very sweet... and very very very warming. It tastes like Christmas! I want another! (But first I have to finish this one)

Grade: A

Tecate is the B- of beers. I mean, seriously. It's ok, and it'll help get you drunk without being offensive... but there's something about its taste that's not really satisfying. I'm not really sure if I like it more than Corona or not, though, but I know I like Dos Equis better.

And with that... We CAN ask and we CAN tell! Another news citation (pinching myself).

I'm so excited I'm making a LJ post with link from my phone!

Just as a general note... if you threaten me or warn me with a loss of friendship (or really, anything similar) then don't be surprised if I go ahead and cut you out of my life peremptorily. Especially if your warning is over something I see as petty (i.e. something I don't care to honor) v. e.g., "I won't be your friend anymore if you hurt my grandma" which we could laugh about because it's something I'd only do if said grandma pulled a gun on me or something else equally improbable.

Threats from my social circle have been a theme in my life lately and it's a type of threat I simply will not tolerate. Maybe my opinion on this will change in the future, but I'm really not sure.

If you want something, just ask. I'm usually pretty cool about things when asked, and if it IS an ongoing problem that is beyond my means/desire to control then I'll let you know and we can cut it there. No acrimony is necessary, although it's certainly an option if you want some. I don't mind playing the villain or putting on my "OMG ANGRY!" demeanor as a last show for a former friend.

( One of my favorite koans on ending relationshipsCollapse )