Blog Archives - The Land of the Weird

The Land of the Weird

New Pillow

1/17/2018

I'm a two-pillow sleeper. I have been since about the eighth grade when I was given a decorative pillow as a gift by my godmother. I wasn't sure what to do with it. I wanted to use it, but I knew I shouldn't sleep on it without a pillow case, and a pillow case would cover the decoration--a deer in the woods (At the time, I did not understand that decorative pillows were not meant for use, just decoration). So, I put my normal pillow on top of it and slept with my head a bit higher.

While it took some getting used to, I actually found that I was sleeping much better. In fact, I since figured out that sleeping without the second pillow often leaves me more vulnerable to the migraine headaches that used to plague me. At this point in my life, should I sleep with only one pillow, I need to fold it in half (which is also not comfortable) or wake up the next morning with an aching head (as opposed to an aching neck).

Over a year ago, I got a Sealy Half-and-Half pillow (half quilted, half memory foam). Since then, I've been using it as my top pillow with a regular extra-firm for the bottom one. Recently, my extra-firm started moving more towards the rock-like category no matter how I fluffed it. As we had a spare Half-and-Half pillow, I switched them out.

Unfortunately, switching to a newer pillow is always uncomfortable for the first couple of weeks, as the newer pillow is invariably fluffier and thicker than the old one. Basically, my head is a bit too far up off the bed, and it's making for some restless nights. The plus side is that I've had some great dreams lately and have been able to better remember them since I keep waking up through the night.

I'll get used to it, but right now it's just a pain in the neck.

If You Give Janelle a Puzzle

1/16/2018

Considering Katrina's love of puzzles, Janelle bought a couple of puzzles and a puzzle mat as family Christmas presents so we would have them available when Katrina and Peter were up here. Despite our living room being fairly well lit, the lighting was not deemed adequate for their puzzle making needs. Thus, we went to Home Depot to get a floor lamp and some bulbs to go in it.

Then it turned out that the table was too low and the dogs, wanting to join in the family activity, chewed a couple of pieces and swallowed a couple more. Thus, Janelle brought out a folding table that had been sitting unused in the garage. The table, however, was a taller and longer than the coffee table, making the single lamp no longer adequate for the lighting needs. Thus, Janelle bought a second lamp.

While putting together the lamp, it was noted that we had normal 60 Watt-equivalent LED bulbs in them, but they were capable of using 3-way bulbs. Freddy's had bulbs on a 50% off flash sale, so Janelle got several 3-way bulbs, as well as several packs of 100 Watt-equivalent LED bulbs because she wanted even more light.

I suppose that I can give her some slack for this rabbit hole considering I've been going down a bigger one for Disney Infinity.

D&D Withdrawals

1/15/2018

It's been a year since my last D&D game, and I've been feeling the shakes. I know that my lack of gaming has largely been my own fault. Not only did I move away from the gaming groups of which I had been a part, but I have since devoted a good portion of my spare time towards my doctorate degree. That does not stop the need from building.

There is something both liberating and satisfying in delving into a fantastical world willed with epic quests. It is also quite enjoyable to drop into the role of a heroic (or anti-heroic) character with skills and abilities beyond those of normal humans. Plus, I like speaking in bad accents.

Despite my investment into 3.5 (and my 3.6 hybrid), Trevor has been really selling the benefits of 5th Edition. From everything he's said, it sounds like it would be a fun system to play. However, I don't think that I'm ready to play in a game that he is DMing--yet.

Maybe in a couple of years, once my dissertation is done we can find the time to game again.

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

1/14/2018

What is my calling? Have I answered when the Lord has called for me? Have I recognized when He has called for me? Today's first reading and Gospel tell of people receiving their calling from the Lord. Samuel believes he is hearing the voice of his master, Eli. Andrew hears John the Baptist identify Jesus as the Lamb of God, seeks out his brother--the one to be called Peter, and the two become disciples of the Messiah.

I often wonder if I have missed the Lord's calling for me. I surround myself with distractions and obligations to the point that I do not know if I would hear that whispered call. Sometimes, I think that I hear His message to me, but it turns out that it is my own voice, speaking either my desires or my worries.

I envy many of those people who know their calling and follow it with zeal. I fear some of those who claim to know their calling, yet seem to be listening to fallen angels instead. Both groups speak and act with an assurance about what they do. For me the road ahead seems less certain. However, I trust that the Lord will get me to where He needs me--one way or another.

Game of Thrones

1/13/2018

Janelle and I recently finished watching the most recent season of Game of Thrones and now find ourselves impatiently waiting for almost two years before we will see its next and final season. This season was surprisingly short with only seven episodes--even if two of them were the longest episodes in the series. I think that was one of the reasons that the season seemed surprisingly rushed compared to previous seasons.

Despite the rushed pace, there were many great scenes--including some long-awaited payoffs--in this season. The writing had plenty of well-turned phrases and powerful moments, but it did seem to borrow heavily from previous seasons. Perhaps the show's producers, seeing the end in sight, decided to start weaving previous season's themes and plot lines back to the main tapestry; although I do not doubt that there will be plenty of dangling threads by the time the show comes to an end.

Game of Thrones has been worth the hype. The overall production is better than many movies that I have seen. The writing is top-notch. The story takes plenty of unexpected, although believable, turns. The characters are generally well-developed. I feel invested in nearly all of their futures (although a few do seem unredeemable).

Thus far, it has not disappointed. I certainly hope that they do not fizzle out in the last season as so many otherwise great shows have done.

The Dark Tower series

1/12/2018

This morning, I finished the seven book Dark Tower series by Stephen King. As normal, I am floored by the detail and characterization in his books, yet I am also left with a vague feeling that I would have rather never read them to begin with. They are not bad books, and there are elements that absolutely fascinated me. However, the story seemed to change its texture from book to book in ways that were not only unsatisfying, but even downright disturbing.

By disturbing, I do not refer to the horror aspects of the books, which are thankfully few, but in the ways that the books relied so heavily on deus ex machina to get the characters both out of and into difficult situations. This seemed to be a very personal series for Stephen King as he (quite literally) put a lot of himself into it. However, the story itself went off the rails (again, at some points literally so) only to be forced back in a jarring fashion.

I have a long ways to go before I can craft character, action, or description like Stephen King does. These characters were quite memorable and I will remember some of the settings and events for a long time to come. However, I think that I will look to other role models when it comes to plot and theme.

Cabin

1/11/2018

Janelle and I just readied the cabin because we have our first rental of the year coming in tomorrow. As we were cleaning, I kept thinking about how much I like our little get-away. It's an adorable place with, according to people who have stayed there, comfortable beds.

The thing is, I still have to take other people's words on the subject of it comfortability or coziness. Despite owning the place for nearly two years, neither Janelle nor I have stayed the night in the place. For that matter, we have not really spent time there unless we are getting it ready for company or are showing it off.

Katrina, Peter, Trevor, Connor, and Rowen all spent the night in there last week. Although Trevor didn't enjoy the experience that much (he was in a sleeping bag up in the loft with his younger brothers), everyone else said that they liked it. It was even suggested that the cabin was more comfortable than our guest rooms in the house.

I suppose that, while I don't mind preparing the cabin for others, it seems like a lot of work just to spend the night in a bed that isn't my own. Still, I would like to stay in my own cabin at least once. Maybe someday I'll give it a try.

Bittersweet

1/10/2018

I received my AP reading invitation today. I was both excited and saddened to see it. For the past three years, I have attended the AP World History test reading in Salt Lake City. Although most of my time there is spent sitting at a table grading essays, I have enjoyed going every time. The company in charge of the tests pays for my travel, the hotel, and all of my meals. On top of that we receive a nice stipend. The experience gives me insights into what I can do to better teach my students. I also have been able to explore Salt Lake City and some of the surrounding area.

However, the best part is spending time with wonderful people who are just as geeky as I am about world history. I have made some great friends there. Even though we only see each other once a year, when we get back together it feels like only a few weeks have passed.

Unfortunately, I had to press the "decline" button on my invitation. We will be in Michigan, preparing for Katrina's wedding and visiting the amazing people there. It was not a difficult choice to make, but a sad one nonetheless.

Hopefully, I will be invited again next year.

Fire Station

1/9/2018

Connor's section of our Cub Scout pack had an appointment at the fire station today. While there, the boys were shown the various trucks that are there and were even allowed inside a couple of them. They were shown the "jaws of life" and other tools that the firefighters use to deal with accident scenes--including various stabilizing tools to keep a rolled vehicle from moving while they attempt a rescue.

During the tour, our first guide was called away with their main truck to check a possible gas leak. He handed it over to one of the medics, who got called away later due to a slip and fall injury. The tour was already coming to a close by the second call, so the boys didn't miss anything and also had a chance to see the firefighters gear up and head out.

The trip filled me with nostalgia as I remembered some of my own tours of fire stations and engines. Like many young people, I had dreams of being a firefighter when I grew up. Even now, there is still a bit of romanticism for me about that job. I probably enjoyed the trip as much as the Cub Scouts did.

Disney Infinity

1/8/2018

Many months ago, Disney shut down its toy/video game system (known as Infinity). In doing so, all of its games and toys were put on clearance prices at Fred Meyer. Freddy's then had an additional 70% off electronic clearance items, and I pounced. The games and toys then sat in my closet for months, waiting for Christmas.

We wrapped them as "To the Marks Family from Santa" to avoid bickering between the boys as to which character belonged to whom. Since opening them, the younger boys have played the games nearly every day. Seeing their reaction, I then ordered several more of the Infinity games and toys online to broaden out the play possibilities.

At this point, they can play as characters from the Incredibles, Monsters Inc., the Pirates of the Caribbean, the Avengers, Brave, Lilo and Stitch, the prequel Star Wars movies, the original Star Wars movies, the Force Awakens, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and Phineas and Ferb (well, we have crystal Perry)--Spider-man is on the way. While there have been some shouting matches (especially when they decide to turn their lightsabers on each other's characters), they have been playing well together.

I am amazed by the wide variety of entertainment offerings that the games have--from standard videogame quests, to stories, to world-building, to kart racing, to arena fighting, this game seems to have a bit of everything. Now I just need to find some time to squeeze in some play-time myself.

The Epiphany of Our Lord

1/7/2018

We have reached that destination of the Christmas season: the wise men have given their gifts to Jesus. To do so, they had to travel a long way, following nothing but their faith and a star in the sky. How are we doing on our own journeys?

The problem is that there are countless stars in the sky. Should we even take the time to look up and find one, how do we know that we are following the right one? Today, our priest discussed how dangerous driving can be, especially on the road from Soldotna to Homer, this time of year. It's dark so much of the time and the snow sometimes covers the lines and rumble strips along the road. We try to follow what light we can, but sometimes the light from cars going the other direction blinds us. Sometimes the distracting light comes from our cell phones. We need to be able to continue on our journey despite these distractions. Moreso, we need to focus so that these distractions do not lead us into unfortunate accidents.

What are the distracting lights on our dark drive to heaven? What are some that, like the opposing drivers, come from without? What are some that, like the cell phone, come from within? We need to follow our star. Thankfully, Jesus is not just at the destination as He was for the wise men. Instead, He is with us on our journey.

Horizon: Zero Dawn

1/6/2018

I truly believe that some video games reach a literary status beyond what can be achieved in other forms of media. To this day, I still believe that The Last of Us is one of the best crafted stories that I have read, watched, or played. Today, I feel that I can add another story to the list--Horizon: Zero Dawn.

I felt truly invested in Aloy's story as she goes on her mission of self-discovery in a post-apocalyptic future filled with strange civilizations and robotic creatures that have the forms of animals from Earth's history (including prehistoric history). I played the game with its expansion--The Frozen Wilds--which added several interesting substories to the larger epic.

This video game was one of few cases where a game's world becomes more and more believable as the game continues. Elements that I thought were plot holes ended up being deeper avenues of story in a world more complex than I had expected. Best of all, the game led me to reflect on our own world and my own life.

The game itself has some interesting mechanics, as well as some frustrations. However, despite its size and those few frustrations, I think I may play it again at some point in the future. I certainly would like to play earlier portions now that I know where they lead.

End of Vacation

1/5/2018

Although I still had today and the weekend, it really felt like my vacation came to an end yesterday as I drove home after dropping Katrina and Peter off at the airport. The roads were slick (they were the worst in Anchorage itself), but the drive itself went pretty smoothly. I had a calm drive, good conversations with Janelle, and a couple of episodes of "Wait! Wait! Don't Tell Me!" to entertain us on the way back. Still, the beginning of another semester looms.

All told, I've had an enjoyable vacation. At some point in the future, I would like to do some traveling on a vacation, but if the point of having time off is to enjoy life and rejuvenate oneself, then this vacation did its job perfectly. I had a great time with friends and family, had wonderful food (probably too much wonderful food), and even had time to play some fantastic games.

Although the vacation has come to an end, I hope that I can keep this joyful, relaxed feeling through the weeks to come.

White Space

1/4/2018

We have a vaulted ceiling in our living room that leaves a great deal of white space for about ten feet on one of our walls. My soon-to-be son-in-law, Peter, was bothered by the amount of unclaimed wall space, feeling that it would be better served with some sort of artwork, or perhaps a movie projector. To demonstrate his point, he attached a piece of paper, with the word "ART" written on it, in the middle of the blank wall (it also has--in smaller letters--the phrase "If you can read this then you are probably tall.").

Personally, I think that the white space helps keeps the room brighter and that putting up pictures or decorations, aside from being difficult, would darken the entire area. This is noticeably true to the left of this space when we put our artificial tree up on the raised platform as both storage and decoration. He suggested that it would be a good place to display a 6 by 8 foot portrait of the family.

For now, I think that Janelle and I are content with the extra lighting.