metapunk

Sometimes around Christmas, I send my family a wish list of practical things I need, so we can both be sure I’ll make good use of whatever they get me.  Some may find that a bit crass, but I figure: I already have a lot of stuff I don’t use.  I have a strong impulse toward minimalism, and a heavy dislike of pointless materialism.  So, while there’s no dissuading my family from getting me something (I’ve tried), at least I can let them know what I can use and everybody will be happy. Here’s the list I sent them, for the lulz:

Things I can use:

Realistic Gift Ideas:

• 1 pair of decent running shoes
• 1 pair of durable work boots
• Simple, sturdy wooden chair (office chairs are not cat-proof, and rolling chairs won’t stay still).
• 2 pairs of inexpensive pants
• Set of queen sized bed sheets
• Amazon gift card
• One 14 & 1/2 inch by 18 & 7/8ths plank of 3/4 inch chipboard, and a can of matte black spraypaint
• Kitchen sink (okay, just kidding. This is just here so you can’t say this list has “everything but the…” … Actually, now that you mention it, we could use a new aerator nozzle head for the kitchen sink. I keep meaning to pick one up from Home Hardware, but keep forgetting. We almost got one at Canadian Tire, but they’re obscenely expensive there—ten freakin’ bucks!  I remember seeing one at a Home Hardware five towns over for 79 cents!  I should have got one there but I wasn’t thinking.)
• Fall / spring jacket, bomber style (used / thrift store is ideal and inexpensive, as long as it’s in good shape).

Full on Pie-in-the-Sky** Wishes:

• Class in basic C or Visual C programming
• iPad 2 & some reader apps (mobi, epub, pdf, cbr) for it.
• Self-discipline
• Good Government and Gainful Employment
• A genuine Hattori Hanzō katana. Or a Masamune. Or a Lightsaber. And probably Kendo lessons.
• Winning Lotto Ticket
• True Love (Wub, Tawoo Wub may also be acceptable)
• World Peace (But please, no whirled peas)
• A wish granting genie and unlimited wishes?

**I was tempted to add “flying pie” to my list of pie-in-the-sky wishes; but I realized I’d probably get that wish—and that the pie would be flying toward my face.

So it’s been a busy last couple of months, hence the lack of posts. One of my best friends just got married, so there was a lot of gearing up for that. Lots of work hammering out core mechanics for the two games, lots of paperwork and family stuff going on that needed taking care of, plus the onset of the Christmas season…

In any case, I’ve got several topics for discussion lined up, including: A metaphysics of gaming, which is amusing and maybe interesting, if a little far out. I may discuss an intolerant atheist’s misguided outburst on Wikipedia’s Religion article talk page, although I’m not sure it’s worth the time (except for the reminder that no one, theist or atheist, is immune to believing too much in their own bullshit). There’s also a couple of spirituality-related projects (i.e. homework for anyone interested!) that I have in mind, and of course the standard design project updates.

I’ll hopefully be posting one or two of those later on today. So, stay tuned folks, there’s more to come…

Well, it’s that time of year again, folks!  Halloween is my favourite holiday, for so many reasons.  You’ve got the candy, the costumes, pumpkin carving, the wild parties, and the wandering the streets until all hours of the morning, and all that jazz…  plus you can just feel something in the air.

Maybe it’s the chill of autumn, or the harvest moons, I don’t know, but the energy of this time is unmistakable.

The Celts called it Samhaine (roughly pronounced “sawhaena”), and made it their harvest festival and new year’s celebration.   It is when the last gasps of summer give way to the coming winter, and when the veil between this world and the other world is at it’s thinnest.   It is a time when spirits walk, visiting friends and loved ones, begging  for offerings to tide them over the long cold months ahead.

It is a holiday steeped in mysteries, from the tricks the spirits play on those who refuse to honour them, to the costumes people wear to frighten each other, and perhaps ward off unkindly spirits.

All I really know is that it’s time when my mind conjures images of my ancestors dancing and singing around bonfires, having fun, and paying respect to their own ancestors, to the Earth, to the Gods, and to the universe.

It is a primal and liminal time, a connected and sacred time.

If you’re into the whole Halloween celebration thing, please just remember, somewhere in the back of your mind, to honour your ancestors wherever they came from, and to thank the universe that gives you so much.   You may not think any of it is real, but the act of caring, even for the long dead and the imaginary order of it all, may bring you some peace in an otherwise rocky world.

Think about it, and have a safe and happy Halloween!