Kevin's Watch

Kymbierlee wrote:We sometimes get so caught up in what we think is important at the time that we forget what actually is.

Sadly true. Especially when it comes to both our children and our elderly.

--A

Avatar wrote:

Of course, here on The Watch, absurdity is commonplace, and rarely frowned upon.

Well av, spoonfish platypi. Fish on bicycle, rabbit droppings. No? Yes!

Avatar wrote:Yeah, I'm with Cho...Nothing wrong with the way that you are right now. In that vein however, perhaps that's the problem. Too attached to yourself, even if it is a negative attachment. (Remember how to get rid of clouds?)

Of course I remember!!

And thanks for the kind words, but I was sort of making a joke. Cho said she worked hard to become herself, and I said I'm still myself despite working hard to be otherwise. Meaning nobody can be anything but themself. But the fact is that I don't know anyone who is more comfortable with themself than I am. I know and accept my weaknesses; I'm happy with my beliefs; I enjoy my passions; etc.

Avatar wrote:Personally, I feel the same as Cho does. I like me. I want to continue being me. In fact, I insist on it.

Well, even though I'm not always wishing I was other than I am, I still sometimes think "Enough's enough already!" heh I can't imagine this identity and awareness going on forever. If there's any afterlife, I prefer, based on what I know, the Hindu-type to the Christian-type.

Avatar wrote:(Of course, if I'm ever not me, "I" won't know it.)

True enough

I can easily imagine my identity and awareness lasting forever. Very easily. My only regret is that it may not. (It won't be for lack of trying though. )

I too, I'm glad to be able to say, am very comfortable with myself. I've had my time of "existential angst", and I'm well rid of it.

BTW, the cloud thing works, you know. It never ceases to freak me out, but it works!

--Avatar

Clouds thing? *blink*

Do yourself a favour JemCheeta, and get a copy of Richard Bach's Illusions. One of my all time favourite books. You won't regret it.

(I'm already on my second copy, lent my first one out and "lost" it.)

--Avatar

Good thing it's relatively inexpensive then. A short book simply packed with great stuff!

heh It literally says I'm on Page 4 of 3.

Seems fixed now though. Says page 4 of 4 again.

What's relatively inexpensive? At today's exchange rate, my replacement copy cost me about $20.

Still, agree that it's packed with wonderful stuff, including the secret of cloud removal. Worth every cent. Both times. (Actually, I lie, my first copy originally belonged to my father.)

--A

Totally second that, Av. And I have you beat. I am currently without a copy after loaning out two that never came back.

Aah, it's a bugger isn't it? I'm often torn between being flattered that they took my recommendation so to heart that I never got the book back, and being annoyed that I have to replace it.

Actually, my worst "loss" was the entire Amtrak War series, to some bugger who just disappeared soon after I lent them to him. (Now I lend out series a book at a time. And keep a list. )

--Avatar

I buy Thomas Covenant books every time I go into a second hand book store. Literally every time. Hee hee. I've lent out and lost about 5 copies of LFB, I think.

Well, now you've got something else to be on the lookout for.

And let's hope it's not a trend, 'cause I've just lent out my only copy of LFB to a friend. (But at least I know he's not going to disappear suddenly, and I know where he lives. )

--Avatar

Avatar wrote:What's relatively inexpensive? At today's exchange rate, my replacement copy cost me about $20.

WOW!!! The paperback is $6.75 on amazon.com

Yeah, it's really bad here. (And my copy is paperback too) Not only is there huge tax on books, but on top of that, there's something like a 100% import duty as well.

It actually works out perfect. $6.75, times the exchange rate, and then double that amount for import duty, and a few extra bucks for tax.

If I order something off Amazon, I have to pay extra for currency conversion, plus the import duty when it arrives. So I end up paying the same as if I'd just bought it in a store, if not a little extra.

Turns book buying into an expensive hobby unfortunately. (This is why I conduct frequent raids on every second hand book store I know about. And even then, they can be a bit expensive.)

In fact, I'd guess that a good 80% of my many books are second hand. The only time I buy new ones are when I absolutely can't wait, like the DT, the chrons, and soon Runes.

It really annoys me that they make books so expensive here. With such a large part of the population who need access to them, you'd think they'd make it as cheap as possible.

Turning a profit on peoples quest for knowledge. Is there no end to this perfidy?!? (Rant, Rant)

--A

Wow.
That's just totally ridiculous.
*counts blessings*

Dang! I just bought 3 book on Wednsday at Half Price Books and paid just under $13! Ad I compain about book prices here! Yeesh.

Damn, is this the most derailed thread in the history of the watch or what?

I just wanted to know what you people really believe. There has to be something. Conviction is something that I think everyone has to have about something. Our Convictions are what motivate our existence.

And about that pesky law of thermodynamics, if we haven’t detected it yet by any scientific means, we can safely assume it lies beyond the scope of modern science. This sure as hell doesn't mean it doesn’t exist.

Also, that law is describing the universe as a whole. There are pockets where the law can and certainly is broken; however the universe still suffers a net loss of energy/matter (at least in any useful form).

Life itself is a violation of thermodynamics. A plant takes sunlight, water, CO2 and a few local nutrients and makes glucose. This is not entropy, this is order from chaos. However, meanwhile the sun has lost some of its energy; hydrogen is turning into more stable and inert helium. Overall, the universe is becoming more chaotic. (Hydrogen becoming helium is actually a downhill street energy wise, it's a little counter-intuitive, but hydrogen fusing is entropy)

The Dreaming wrote:Damn, is this the most derailed thread in the history of the watch or what?

I just wanted to know what you people really believe.

I really believe you should calm down and try decaf...

I believe that if anything good is going to come from this life, I'm going to have to get it for myself. I believe in no higher authority, and no saving grace. I am convinced that I have to be able to look at myself in the morning and say "I am doing what I want to do"