lurker

No quoting for me, because you've laid down your arms...watch out for the bears who might be picking them up (something about the 2d amendment, I hear). My one residual squabble (minor) is your suggestion of a jedi being 'twisted' with good. I don't really know what that even means. Your example of a jedi refusing to defend the weak doesn't strike me as 'good.' This is an ends-means debate. A Jedi who employs 'improper' means is not on the correct side of the force, even if the ends are proper. That said, I think we're trying to create an explanation where there is none. What is portrayed as appropriate behavior for the Jedi in the movies is not necessarily morally good. As big of a geek as I am, I was never THAT much of a geek to believe that there really is an internal, consistent religiousity to the 'force.' On the one hand, the force is about understanding nature and that everything has its own flow, so you shouldn't force your will on anything. But then, it's about manipulating that flow when you need to do stuff, like blow up a Death Star, lift a plane out of a swamp or convince some weak-minded people to do something they don't want to do. If you aren't driven by anger, hurt or some other 'negative' emotion, then all those things are fine. It's never explained at all why SOME means are proper for a jedi to justify the ends, but OTHERS are twisted. And while I'm dumping on the religion of the force, I want to add that while I was ok with the notion that some families were more 'in tune' with the force, I balked at the presentation of a blood test identifying jedi potential. I believe my response was 'f**king Midichlorians!' Topic...Right...DOR...good story, eh? BTW, to quote our hero from a different trilogy, I HATE snakes!

I like words with onomonopoetic flair. I want the protagonist to "thrust, hiss, grab, and grunt." So I like the term "shmoopy." In fact, I think we need a campaign to increase its use...

I haven't known Davey to give up on anything, and Brian doesn't think in terms of chances (ie 1st, 2nd, 3rd ...), he thinks more in terms of truth/honesty and personal integrity. While Davey has DUTY, Brian has LOYALTY and the memory of the proverbial elephant. Ultimately, I'm jealous of Davey, Brian is a perfect fit to him, and Davey knows it -- he wouldn't be near as good a fit to me, I have too much weakness in my personality (as do most real human beings). The question of whether or not they are "destined" to be together is only an issue of how evil Dan is. There is no question that they are made for each other and belong together, the only question is if Dan lets them be together. Which, I guess, may depend on if Dan tries to punish me because someone got bit by a snake (like I believe Dan would change a storyline just to punish me for the actions of my "pet" ). <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Davey and Brian are 'made for each other and belong together' in a strictly literal sense. Dan created these people, and then did his best to show that they are a good fit for one another the first time around. If you believe that they are 'made for each other and belong together,' then it's a sign that you bought in to the Davey/Brian soulmates aspect of DO. To the extent there is destiny, though, you are speaking of the all-powerful God that is creating these characters and then crafting what happesn to them...in other words, Dan. They are only 'destined' to be together if Dan believes that to be so. It is not really a question of evil or good. Evil would be creating people who are 'meant to be together' and then keeping them apart so they suffer. But then how was it ever their destiny if it can't happen? If you think Dan is trying to be 'good' or 'evil' in how he crafts his story or 'manipulates' his characters, then you may have lost the suspension of disbelief necessary to make the story work on its own. Personally, I don't believe that in THIS world any one person is destined to be with any specific other person. While there may be a few people who are good fits, there is no such thing as 'made for each other' or 'belong together.' Who we wind up with is subject to a few coincidences in events and some choices that we make. I have not seen any evidence that Dan as Author has created a world where people are 'meant for each other' and it is 'their destiny' to be together. I'm glad, because it makes it more interesting to see that people's choice have consequences and that we all subject to some degree of randomness that is not in our control. That is true for Davey, that is true for Brian. It's not good nor evil. It just is.

For all the talk about Domaholics and Danimals, we're all really Myr-ites here at GA. Happy Birthday, Myr!

Ditto. You rock, Myr!

It

I can't help but hear James Earl Jones's voice saying that with your post. It just reminds me of the scene in Field of Dreams where he tries to get rid of Kevin Costner... It's a funny image. Even if I'm the only one who knows what I'm talking about. Heh.

A few baseball-related books: 1) The Dreyfuss Affair by Peter Lefcourt - This book tells the story of what happens when two major league baseball players fall in love and are accidentally outed to the public. A decent book. I'd recommend it, and I suspect it may be interesting and accessible even if you don't know/like baseball. 2) Behind the Mask by Dave Pallone - The autobiography of a (formerly) closeted (former) major league umpire. An interesting read, but probably not if you don't like baseball. 3) Going the Other Way: Lessons from a Life in and our of Major League Baseball by Billy Bean The autobiography of (formerly) closeted rank-and-file major league baseball player who is now retired. I didn't like this book all that much, because I didn't feel that it got deep enough. It does raise some issues about homophobia in sports. But Bean doesn't really seem to share enough to make his personal story all that compelling beyond the detail of being a closeted baseball player, and he seems to lack the kind of perspective on his own career and performance that can make athlete memoirs interesting. 4) Take Me Out by Richard Greenberg The hit Broadway play about homophobia (and other cultural attitudes) in baseball is now available in book form. I haven't read it, so I can't recommend. It is always a little weird to read something that we are meant to see performed, but hey, we do it with Shakepeare all the time.

RC Cola? Proud sponsor of the New York Mets... I took the Pepsi challenge the first time around. I think I picked Coke. I don't remember. I was thirsty and picked whatever they'd give me first. No one was giving out water. I've long given up on Coke and related beverages - I prefer my sugar in Tropicana form - but the amount that people can drink is scary. Super Size Me profiles some folks who drink a gallon a day. A gallon!!! Guess who was heading in for gastric-bypass surgery.