638: Untouchable
There is a natural reflex in all living things, I've mentioned before on occasion, to avoid known evils: if a certain kind of mushroom gives me extreme diarrhea, I'm going to remember that in the future and not eat it anymore, right? That's common sense.
There are unfortunately social conventions [as in rules, not necessarily gatherings] that require we as amicable human beings to endure known evils in the interest of gaining a higher good. I have problems making myself comply with these, because the greater good is often vague, and I simply don't have the interest or willpower. For instance [and this is true], I had previosuly gladly enjoyed eating at McDonald's for a long time without complaint. One day, however, something occurred [which I won't go into because it is true and would possibly embarrass the involved parties] that equated McDonald's with BAD in my mind, and I have felt uncomfortable eating there ever since, even with the rational knowledge that my reasons for avoiding it are unfair and not entirely to do with McDonald's. [Other reasons for avoiding there exist, as many of you would certainly attest, but they are for this exercise are extraneous. Just understand that it is hard to "get over" something as severe as that was in a highly impressionable time for me, particularly when I've not been given sufficient incentive to get over it.]
My mind is slow to re-accept a known rejection [forgive]. It may be unfortunate that we of the self-ostracized clique spent a good deal of time this weekend gossiping negatively, but it reflects the mindset I've stated earlier about it being easy to spread a little bad karma on rare occasion than to do nothing but save up good karma. It also was simply what we felt like talking about at the time, plus it brought up a debate [although everyone present agreed] on the matter of self-empowerment and those who've chosen not to do it for whatever reason. After a while of patient prodding and recommendations, we [general we] really can only just sit back and laugh behind their backs--at the absurdity and because we'd rather not waste time pitying someone who doesn't deserve it.
So I had packed for this weekend with sociability in mind, but I was just as antisocial as I had expected myself to be and ended up lugging around lots of stuff that really never left my bags. Out of fairness, though, our clique wasn't the only one, and most [though not all] tended to hole up in one place and not leave--it's not our fault if those others chose not to come see us when we remained similarly rooted [read: made ourselves easy to find upon demand].
What also didn't help my antisociability [besides lack of proper sleep] was that Ash gave me crack in book format around mid-afternoon: Death-Note, also illustrated by Obata-sensei [Hikaru no Go]. I can't explain what quality/ies will make something "good" to me, but it's a horribly absorbing series, and I found myself saying at the end of the first book, "Oh, no! Now I will have to wait to get the next book!"
Ash gave me the next book, and I said, "Yay! I don't have to wait for the next book!" XD ...that's all he had, though, so I'm slightly tempted to stay up and hit Borders when they open ^^:
Meanwhile, I'm very nearly done with Gifts, and all that's TECHNICALLY happened in the present-tense course of the book so far is Orrec talks to a newcomer, and the newcomer gives him a book. It's completely Their Eyes Were Watching God in that respect, and I really am not that fond of that narrative technique. I mean, I guess as a story primarily about run-of-the-mill* life in a standard medievalish setting, it's okay, but the element of familial gifts--genetic supernatural powers a la the Xanth or X-Men variety--suggests more that could happen than what does. Instead, it's about the failure to use them and the politics involved behind who has what gift, which may be fine for others but is boring the hell out of me. It's not really something I guess I'd fault the book--it just doesn't happen to interest me. For instance, Steamboy is a clear fault, but Planetes I can tell is genuinely good but not my thing.
*My brain kept hunting for an adjectival phrase with "bread" in it somewhere... I still can't figure out what it is, though :'
Gas dipped to as low as $2.09 in the Lameys' area, I'd seen. It's down to $2.39 more locally, but I still demand a decrease in these idiot commercials praising the 27 MPG highway that their new SUVs are getting and get the 80 MPG Europe already has!!! X( NO EXCUSEZ
There are unfortunately social conventions [as in rules, not necessarily gatherings] that require we as amicable human beings to endure known evils in the interest of gaining a higher good. I have problems making myself comply with these, because the greater good is often vague, and I simply don't have the interest or willpower. For instance [and this is true], I had previosuly gladly enjoyed eating at McDonald's for a long time without complaint. One day, however, something occurred [which I won't go into because it is true and would possibly embarrass the involved parties] that equated McDonald's with BAD in my mind, and I have felt uncomfortable eating there ever since, even with the rational knowledge that my reasons for avoiding it are unfair and not entirely to do with McDonald's. [Other reasons for avoiding there exist, as many of you would certainly attest, but they are for this exercise are extraneous. Just understand that it is hard to "get over" something as severe as that was in a highly impressionable time for me, particularly when I've not been given sufficient incentive to get over it.]
My mind is slow to re-accept a known rejection [forgive]. It may be unfortunate that we of the self-ostracized clique spent a good deal of time this weekend gossiping negatively, but it reflects the mindset I've stated earlier about it being easy to spread a little bad karma on rare occasion than to do nothing but save up good karma. It also was simply what we felt like talking about at the time, plus it brought up a debate [although everyone present agreed] on the matter of self-empowerment and those who've chosen not to do it for whatever reason. After a while of patient prodding and recommendations, we [general we] really can only just sit back and laugh behind their backs--at the absurdity and because we'd rather not waste time pitying someone who doesn't deserve it.
So I had packed for this weekend with sociability in mind, but I was just as antisocial as I had expected myself to be and ended up lugging around lots of stuff that really never left my bags. Out of fairness, though, our clique wasn't the only one, and most [though not all] tended to hole up in one place and not leave--it's not our fault if those others chose not to come see us when we remained similarly rooted [read: made ourselves easy to find upon demand].
What also didn't help my antisociability [besides lack of proper sleep] was that Ash gave me crack in book format around mid-afternoon: Death-Note, also illustrated by Obata-sensei [Hikaru no Go]. I can't explain what quality/ies will make something "good" to me, but it's a horribly absorbing series, and I found myself saying at the end of the first book, "Oh, no! Now I will have to wait to get the next book!"
Ash gave me the next book, and I said, "Yay! I don't have to wait for the next book!" XD ...that's all he had, though, so I'm slightly tempted to stay up and hit Borders when they open ^^:
Meanwhile, I'm very nearly done with Gifts, and all that's TECHNICALLY happened in the present-tense course of the book so far is Orrec talks to a newcomer, and the newcomer gives him a book. It's completely Their Eyes Were Watching God in that respect, and I really am not that fond of that narrative technique. I mean, I guess as a story primarily about run-of-the-mill* life in a standard medievalish setting, it's okay, but the element of familial gifts--genetic supernatural powers a la the Xanth or X-Men variety--suggests more that could happen than what does. Instead, it's about the failure to use them and the politics involved behind who has what gift, which may be fine for others but is boring the hell out of me. It's not really something I guess I'd fault the book--it just doesn't happen to interest me. For instance, Steamboy is a clear fault, but Planetes I can tell is genuinely good but not my thing.
*My brain kept hunting for an adjectival phrase with "bread" in it somewhere... I still can't figure out what it is, though :'
Gas dipped to as low as $2.09 in the Lameys' area, I'd seen. It's down to $2.39 more locally, but I still demand a decrease in these idiot commercials praising the 27 MPG highway that their new SUVs are getting and get the 80 MPG Europe already has!!! X( NO EXCUSEZ