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Posts for the date of Saturday, December 21, 2002
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posted by Gary O'Brien at 10:53 AM |
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Starting after Christmas Science Fiction Twin will be doing an interesting experiment.
I, Gary O’Brien, will be going through my entire CD collection (minus Elvis Costello). I plan on listening to three CDs a day, in alphabetical order.
Which means, of course, that my first day will include:
John Adams (classical), Admiral Twin and Air.
Not a bad first day.
Here’s my theory. By me reminiscing about these CDs, you’ll be able to learn about my life in unexpected ways. After all, my CD collection is not just a bunch of plastic encoded with 0s and 1s.
It’s a time capsule that captured particular moments of my life in crystalline. Each CD has a story and each story is very uninteresting.
Of course, there will be spots where it won’t say much. Such as, the Beatles. There’s an obvious reason why I own a lot of Beatles CDs.
So, join me in my journey through myself. I’ll call it, “The Gary O’Brien Audio Biograpy.”
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Posts for the date of Friday, December 20, 2002
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posted by Gary O'Brien at 9:23 AM |
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I’d like to take this moment to welcome little Juliet to the world. She was born this morning to my dear friends Ryan and Aixa.
Welcome Juliet! You have some really great parents.
I’d also like to apologize for my ramblings about The Two Towers yesterday. Fatigue and excitement made it difficult to write.
Sorry.
Hell is nearly over. I should be back to my normal ramblings within the next month.
And hey, let’s be careful out there. Or something.
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Posts for the date of Thursday, December 19, 2002
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posted by Gary O'Brien at 8:57 AM |
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How Geek are you?
Probably not as Geek as I am. Nor my wife.
What did you do yesterday? What did I do? Well, the wife and I took the day off to . . . no, not go Christmas shopping . . . to see The Two Towers.
And, it was awe-inspiring. Amazing. Simply amazing. We had an incredible time and couldn’t imagine a better way to spend an unseasonably warm, rainy as hell, December day.
We’re both very big Lord of the Rings fans. I’ve been one since I was 12 when my brother Marty handed me a copy of the Hobbit and said, “Read this.” I did and fell in love with the world of Middle-Earth. After devouring the entire series, I went back to Middle-Earth as often as I could. I dreamed about it, I thought about it. I considered it and I wondered if I would ever get to see it.
I even watched the incomplete Ralph Bashki versions and they bored me to tears.
I remember last year when I watched The Fellowship of the Ring and I was just amazed at the terrifying and beautiful images that I was being fed. For the first time in my life I felt as if I was in a world I had been imagining all my life. It had come alive. The wife and I have watched many, many times the new extended version of the Fellowship and have loved every single minute of it.
After a long, long year we finally got to see The Two Towers and we were amazed.
From beginning to end, the film is a feast, both visually and emotionally. Huge battles, internal conflict shown externally, humor, pathos and more. There’s not much character development here, but that was true of the books as well. We were in pursuit and battle mode.
At the end of the film, the official War of the Ring has not begun yet. We’re still dealing with Isengard posturing itself as a new land of darkness. But Sauron and his minions are moving toward an all out war and the time of Men could be coming to an end. There is a huge, desperate battle by a race of people who see this as possibly their final moment. There is a sadness here that is deeper than almost any that we have seen. This battle, the Battles of Helm’s Deep, is perhaps one of the most amazing cinematic battle ever filmed.
Once again, Legolas proves himself as the Elf with the Mostest. He kicks some major, major ass. He’s pristine, agile and amazing. If I were an otherworldly warrior, I would be Legolas.
The time is right for these stories to be told again. The world is constantly looking for a hero and Lord of the Rings offers us heroes of almost every type. There is the noble, the reluctant, the giving, the sacrifice. And, if anyone ever thought war of any sort was glorious, The Two Towers proves them wrong. No matter what the reason for war in The Lord of the Rings, the battle is always fought with a heavy heart. “Too much blood has already been shed this day.”
And now the wait for next year begins . . .
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Posts for the date of Tuesday, December 17, 2002
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posted by Gary O'Brien at 11:04 AM |
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All I want for Christmas this year is my very own sword. I’d like a replica of Narsil from Lord of the Rings (after it’s been reforged, of course) but I’d settle for any old sword.
Now, before you think I’ve become one of those crazy guys who dress up in tights and go to Renaissance Fairs to pretend that I’m some glory hound from the days of yesteryear, I should clarify. My sword would be a practical device.
I’m not one for guns, but I want to protect my family. So, I’d keep the sword sheathed under my bed and if anyone broke in I’d come charging down the stairs, sword drawn, yelling, “Back ye forces of darkness lest I send your souls to the gates of Hell!”
The criminal element would then flee, despite the fact that they are better armed. After all, could they match a guy bearing a sword and wearing Mickey Mouse slippers? No.
And then, when they met up at their yearly convention they’d attend a round-table discussion on defense against homeowners. They’d say, “Stay away from this O’Brien guy. He’s nuts. He has a sword.”
Ooh. Maybe I’ll douse it in lighter fluid and set it ablaze. They’d think I was the Arch Angel Michael come to take their souls.
This has definite potential.
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Posts for the date of Monday, December 16, 2002
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posted by Gary O'Brien at 12:35 PM |
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I know I shouldn’t be writing right now, considering my workload. However, it’s been so long since I’ve really updated this page that I feel as if I’m getting out of practice with writing. I fear that my writing skills have deteriorated to such a level that I won’t be able to string together a coherent thought to save my life. And, let’s face it, it’s quite possible that terrorists could come bursting through my door at any moment and demand that, “For the good of all mankind, you must string together a coherent thought.”
With that sort of pressure I’d probably say, “Purple monkeys driving Segways!” Boom! World War III is started. And it’s all my fault.
So, I must blog for the good of all mankind. Our very lives depend upon it.
Things I will not discuss: Trent Lott (what he did was dumb), Iraq (there’s dumb stuff there), Al Gore (he’s not running), Christmas shopping (it sucks, but I purchased a killer present for my wife this year), viruses (I hate them too).
Instead, I’ll bore you with a recounting of my life, such as it is.
Matilida came home with a stunning still life she painted in art class. This painting shows some real talent on her part. She had shading, perspective and color use down pat.
This kid is destined for something great. She has so much talent and intelligence that, when she grows up, she’ll just be able to select something to do and be successful. With the way her interests run, she may very well be the first dancer/scientist/teacher/painter/singer in the planet. And, I must ask, why not? Why not have a Renaissance Woman in the house?
She’s a lucky girl. She has so much going for her. There’s not a day that goes by that I’m not astounded, and filled with pride, by her accomplishments. Watch for her one of these days. She’s bound to do something that will change your life for the better.
Her sister, Gertrude, is another story. Oh, it’s true that she possesses the same stunning intellect as her sister. This kid is whip smart. She can pick up a new skill with the greatest of ease. I fully expect to walk up to her and say, “Gertrude! Don’t put your fingers in that light socket” only to have her answer, “But father, I was merely trying to discover when the circuit is open or closed and, if it is open, if a full electric current can change the development of my DNA on a fundamental level, thereby allowing me to become a genetic mutant bent on conquering the world.” My only response could be, “You’re only one! No world conquering until you’re out of college.”
Still, despite her current state of intelligence . . . on that dwarves many world leaders, she’s just . . . weird. Yesterday I found her collecting her socks and throwing them away. When I explained to her that we don’t throw away socks because they are multi-use, she looked at me, her eyes lighting up and said, “Da da!” She reached up for a hug. I was powerless.
On Saturday, Matilida and I watched “Ice Age” which we truly enjoyed. After the movie was over, I put a CD in the tray that contained one of the songs that was in the movie. The first song on this CD is just three minutes of tribal drums. Gertrude cavorted and pranced in a primitive way that showed me there is some sort of primal urge to dance in all human beings (though it is damaged in my case). Her sister did an interpretive dance about the demise and abuse of aboriginal people from all around the world. It was sad and mournful.
We also have a Chieftains Christmas CD. When we play one of the jigs, Gertrude puts her hands to her sides and does some sort of step dance that would make Michael Flatly weep. She’s the little lordette of the dance.
I’m not making that up. She has an innate sense of rhythm that fills me with joy. Where her sister can immediately pick up on the emotional tenor of a song, Gertrude can pick up on its rhythmic styling and adapt her movements accordingly. She’s’ one!
I’m in big trouble. My girls have much more talent than I do and it frightens me. I mean, do I get them an agent now or should I wait? As a stage-parent, how much money do I get to skim off the top?
These are important considerations!
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