Hello all!
Welcome to Some Babies to Eat. If you don't know what that refers too, seek out the season 5 episode of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" entitled "Triangle." It will also explain the subtitle of the blog and my profile picture.
Here on SBE I will usually just rant, which can turn out either hilarious or boringly serious, but I'll occasionally have something relevant to say, i.e. reviews of books, movies, music, etc. So stick around! It'll be mildly interesting.
Because you all care what I think, this is Some Babies to Eat.
Your fantastically fluffy friend,
Big Mike
Monday, February 2, 2099
Friday, April 17, 2009
More hypocracy, still making me sick
I wrote this as a response to a livejournal entry regarding gay marriage being barred because of the way marriage is defined by the bible and the dictionary:
You are so right, there is no reasonable way to defend anti-gay marriage positions. Here's a few things I wanna say:
1) In response to the "Next they'll be marrying dogs" comment: Marriage between two men or two women is between two consenting adults. Therefore the bestiality and the pedophilia arguments are null, because so long as it involves two consenting adults, there is no reason to forbid marriage. It's against our very constitution to do so; but, as with the Bible, people pick and choose what to apply to themselves and then scold others for doing so.
2) Christian's didn't invent marriage. Neither did Webster. Even if you argue that Marriage as it is today is a Christian tradition (which it hardly is), there are several holes, the largest of which being separation of church and state. Let's keep God out of the courtroom, except at weddings? I don't think so. Also, just because it might be a Christian tradition, traditions are not the sole property of those who establish them. Look at Christmas and Easter. On each of these days Christians celebrate their own religion with ceremonies and traditions set down by pagans and hedonistic Romans. Jesus wasn't born under a cracked-out pine tree (he likely wasn't even born in winter), nor was he carried from his tomb in a wicker basket carried by a giant pink bunny. I don't have a problem with this; I have a problem when Christians try to privatize their own traditions when so many of theirs are adapted from completely contradicting beliefs. My mother told me that the purpose of Marriage is to receive God's blessing for their union. That is true for some people: for others, Marriage is to commit and join to someone for life, to show how much you love them, and to become a single legal entity. God has nothing to do with it for a lot of people. Heterosexual atheists get married all the time. The law has no problem with that. Therefore, the argument of Marriage being Christian tradition is 100% irrelevant to the law. We have freedom of speech, religion, and assembly, and yet we don't have the freedom to join to the ones we love, because someone else disapproves of it.
I am a Christian myself. The reason I used exclusive pronouns in my above speech is because I hate to associate myself with the general Christian population. We believe in the same God, follow the same commandments, and hold the same savior and spirit in our hearts. Beyond that, I must say that we agree on little else. If Christians were to take the time to read and understand the Bible in it's entirety, they would realize that it does not condemn homosexuality. For anyone who would throw leviticus at me, I say: "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth." Romans 10:4. Laviticus, also known as "The Law," stopped being "The Law" when Christ died for us. No longer do we need to follow those old rules to the letter (though not all of them are bad, and we can learn from them). The only way into heaven is through Christ, for everyone who believes in him. To uphold The Law is to deny Christ's sacrifice. To those who would throw Sodom and Gamora at me: Sodom and Gamora were inhabited by rapists, pedophiles, zoophiles (bestiality), nymphomaniacs, and there was serial fornication everywhere. It was all out sexual Hedonism. While homosexuality was also present, it was not what condemned the two cities. Heterosexuality was there too. Many Christian presentations tend to warp this story so that the cities seemed to be inhabited only by men who regularly have sex with each other. That's called Blasphemy.
You are so right, there is no reasonable way to defend anti-gay marriage positions. Here's a few things I wanna say:
1) In response to the "Next they'll be marrying dogs" comment: Marriage between two men or two women is between two consenting adults. Therefore the bestiality and the pedophilia arguments are null, because so long as it involves two consenting adults, there is no reason to forbid marriage. It's against our very constitution to do so; but, as with the Bible, people pick and choose what to apply to themselves and then scold others for doing so.
2) Christian's didn't invent marriage. Neither did Webster. Even if you argue that Marriage as it is today is a Christian tradition (which it hardly is), there are several holes, the largest of which being separation of church and state. Let's keep God out of the courtroom, except at weddings? I don't think so. Also, just because it might be a Christian tradition, traditions are not the sole property of those who establish them. Look at Christmas and Easter. On each of these days Christians celebrate their own religion with ceremonies and traditions set down by pagans and hedonistic Romans. Jesus wasn't born under a cracked-out pine tree (he likely wasn't even born in winter), nor was he carried from his tomb in a wicker basket carried by a giant pink bunny. I don't have a problem with this; I have a problem when Christians try to privatize their own traditions when so many of theirs are adapted from completely contradicting beliefs. My mother told me that the purpose of Marriage is to receive God's blessing for their union. That is true for some people: for others, Marriage is to commit and join to someone for life, to show how much you love them, and to become a single legal entity. God has nothing to do with it for a lot of people. Heterosexual atheists get married all the time. The law has no problem with that. Therefore, the argument of Marriage being Christian tradition is 100% irrelevant to the law. We have freedom of speech, religion, and assembly, and yet we don't have the freedom to join to the ones we love, because someone else disapproves of it.
I am a Christian myself. The reason I used exclusive pronouns in my above speech is because I hate to associate myself with the general Christian population. We believe in the same God, follow the same commandments, and hold the same savior and spirit in our hearts. Beyond that, I must say that we agree on little else. If Christians were to take the time to read and understand the Bible in it's entirety, they would realize that it does not condemn homosexuality. For anyone who would throw leviticus at me, I say: "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth." Romans 10:4. Laviticus, also known as "The Law," stopped being "The Law" when Christ died for us. No longer do we need to follow those old rules to the letter (though not all of them are bad, and we can learn from them). The only way into heaven is through Christ, for everyone who believes in him. To uphold The Law is to deny Christ's sacrifice. To those who would throw Sodom and Gamora at me: Sodom and Gamora were inhabited by rapists, pedophiles, zoophiles (bestiality), nymphomaniacs, and there was serial fornication everywhere. It was all out sexual Hedonism. While homosexuality was also present, it was not what condemned the two cities. Heterosexuality was there too. Many Christian presentations tend to warp this story so that the cities seemed to be inhabited only by men who regularly have sex with each other. That's called Blasphemy.
A rant and squee about the upcoming Half Blood Prince movie
http://www.hulu.com/watch/68383/movie-trailers-harry-potter-and-the-half-blood-prince---trailer-3
I, for one, am psyched about the movie, and approve of most of the changes they seem to have made going by the trailers.
By the looks of the new trailer, they've changed a lot of things, and added some lines and even entire scenes that weren't in the book, but I think it will actually work with this one. I kind of thought the book was too short, so some additional action would be welcome if you ask me.
I think this is the key difference: The movie is designed to get us pumped up for Deathly Hallows, so it's really badass and high-thrill. The book, I think, was almost the calm before the storm, one final year of semi-normality in the wizarding world before it got wrenched open. So where the book was kind of a transition into the darker themes of the Deathly Hallows, where the evil and darkness and creepy things built gradually throughout, the movie throws it all at us, as if to say "Voldemort's back, bitches, and he's kicking ass!" Probably it's an excuse to get more screen time for the famous actors like Ralph Fiennes and Helena Bonnom Carter (I probably didn't spell those right...), but overall I think it will make the movie all kinds of spectacular. One thing has been prominently absent from the trailers, though: Weasley's Wizard Fucking Wheezes. The best not cut out that joke shop.
I, for one, am psyched about the movie, and approve of most of the changes they seem to have made going by the trailers.
By the looks of the new trailer, they've changed a lot of things, and added some lines and even entire scenes that weren't in the book, but I think it will actually work with this one. I kind of thought the book was too short, so some additional action would be welcome if you ask me.
I think this is the key difference: The movie is designed to get us pumped up for Deathly Hallows, so it's really badass and high-thrill. The book, I think, was almost the calm before the storm, one final year of semi-normality in the wizarding world before it got wrenched open. So where the book was kind of a transition into the darker themes of the Deathly Hallows, where the evil and darkness and creepy things built gradually throughout, the movie throws it all at us, as if to say "Voldemort's back, bitches, and he's kicking ass!" Probably it's an excuse to get more screen time for the famous actors like Ralph Fiennes and Helena Bonnom Carter (I probably didn't spell those right...), but overall I think it will make the movie all kinds of spectacular. One thing has been prominently absent from the trailers, though: Weasley's Wizard Fucking Wheezes. The best not cut out that joke shop.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Hypocrites make me sick, and that's not easy to do.
http://www.silencingchristians.com/
NOTE: I have nothing against Christians; I am one myself. But when they abandon the bulk of the Bible to back up one point and use it to spread hate, it pisses me off.
Above is a link to a ridiculous, outrages video speaking out against pro-gay "propaganda." You know why people have been more accepting of gays in the past few decades? Well, it's because WE LIE!!! WE TRICKED YOU ALL! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! That's the sort of thing this video is preaching. It is the epitome of senseless propaganda, the very thing it accuses us (being the gay community) of doing. They complain about being arrested at anti-gay "peace" rallies. Preaching hate and intolerance cannot lead to peace. If the KKK stood outside the church at a wedding between a black man and a white woman, screaming hateful things and holding signs calling the event an abomination, wouldn't you expect them to be arrested? It's "disturbing the peace" at the very least. They claim that the first amendment rights are being denied to Christians. Just because we enforce the same hate crimes onto the church as we do all groups doesn't mean that they don't have freedom of speech. We wouldn't allow anyone to broadcast hateful blather on public T.V., why should Christians be the exception?
Fifty years ago many people, including Christians, spoke out against equal rights for African Americans. I feel we may be heading in the same direction. I'm sorry if that offends anyone, and I don't mean to belittle or generalize the struggle and achievements of African Americans. In contrast, I wish to bring to light the seriousness of anti-gay movements. I don't know about you, but I'm tired of being called an abomination! I hope I'm not alone in saying that I will stop at nothing until I am given the same rights as straight people and don't have to live in fear and secrecy, afraid that my orientation will prevent me from getting a job or being published, or even provoke an attack on me if I were to become too public with it.
I'M GAY! GET OVER IT!
NOTE: I have nothing against Christians; I am one myself. But when they abandon the bulk of the Bible to back up one point and use it to spread hate, it pisses me off.
Above is a link to a ridiculous, outrages video speaking out against pro-gay "propaganda." You know why people have been more accepting of gays in the past few decades? Well, it's because WE LIE!!! WE TRICKED YOU ALL! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! That's the sort of thing this video is preaching. It is the epitome of senseless propaganda, the very thing it accuses us (being the gay community) of doing. They complain about being arrested at anti-gay "peace" rallies. Preaching hate and intolerance cannot lead to peace. If the KKK stood outside the church at a wedding between a black man and a white woman, screaming hateful things and holding signs calling the event an abomination, wouldn't you expect them to be arrested? It's "disturbing the peace" at the very least. They claim that the first amendment rights are being denied to Christians. Just because we enforce the same hate crimes onto the church as we do all groups doesn't mean that they don't have freedom of speech. We wouldn't allow anyone to broadcast hateful blather on public T.V., why should Christians be the exception?
Fifty years ago many people, including Christians, spoke out against equal rights for African Americans. I feel we may be heading in the same direction. I'm sorry if that offends anyone, and I don't mean to belittle or generalize the struggle and achievements of African Americans. In contrast, I wish to bring to light the seriousness of anti-gay movements. I don't know about you, but I'm tired of being called an abomination! I hope I'm not alone in saying that I will stop at nothing until I am given the same rights as straight people and don't have to live in fear and secrecy, afraid that my orientation will prevent me from getting a job or being published, or even provoke an attack on me if I were to become too public with it.
I'M GAY! GET OVER IT!
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Life and Stuff
Sometimes I wish I was 13 again and my life were as simple as it was then. As an adult, when you truly realize how big the world is and everything that's in it, it's exhilarating, but also frightening. It makes you question all that you believed in as a child. It's like everything that was once solid fact is now up to question, and you have to decide what you truly believe in and what beliefs you only followed because you were told to. Your whole world-perception gets scattered and thrown into the air, and what falls back to the ground is often not what it was before it was tossed. You have to rearrange everything. For instance, friendship is now one of my foremost priorities, and when I was younger it meant nothing, as I had very few friends. I used to think I was so jaded. Now I realize that I was never jaded, I was just pessimistic and hormonal. And now that there's so much more reason to feel jaded and depressed, and yet I love my life, even though sometimes it scares me shitless, and other times it pisses me off, and still other times it makes me quite sad. I love all of those things. It makes the good times seem even happier. When you take the time to face what sucks and what hurts and what's scary, it makes life altogether more enjoyable, knowing that bad things do happen, and being ready to deal with them, and making a point to remind yourself that life doesn't always sucks. It kind of takes the edge off, so when things do go wrong, at least you're not surprised by it, and it doesn't seem like such a big deal. It's just one of those bad things that happen. And when the good times roll around, they're made even more awesome by the fact that you know it won't last, because you make it a point to appreciate them so much more.
And now I don't wish I was 13 anymore.
And now I don't wish I was 13 anymore.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Let the Right One In
This 2008 Swedish film somehow managed to be cute, romantic, and disturbing all at the same time. Kind of like what I imagine what Stephanie Meyer was going for with Twilight, only, you know, good.
I'll try not to give too much away, but if you absolutely must not know anything about the movie, I suggest not reading this post. Otherwise, read on, and hopefully you might consider seeing the movie yourself. If you don't want to shell out the $18.00 or so, I suggest you seek alternate methods of obtaining the movie, *wink-wink*
Let the Right One In centers around Oskar, a frail, bullied 12 year old boy with a lot of rage and hatred pent up inside of him. Oskar has no real friends until the mysterious Eli moves in next door. Eli is a 12 year old girl, and she is also a vampire. In Eli Oskar finds someone to share his darker feelings with, and Eli encourages him to fight back against his bullies.
The relationship between Eli and Oskar is a lot like puppy love, only deeper and darker. Oskar doesn't find out what Eli really is until later in the movie, but he is suspicious from the beginning. They are both young, and they act their age. Though we never find out how old Eli is, she says at one point "I'm 12, but I've been 12 for a long time." She still has the mindset and impulses of a 12 year old. The love between the two is rather touching, and there is clearly a deep connection between them beyond the usual 12 year old range of emotion, though I don't think either of them clearly understands it. It's unhealthy to say the least, but that's what it's like to be in love with a vampire.
Also present in the story is an unnamed old man who takes care of Eli. We never find out how Eli and the old man know each other, but my personal theory is that he fell in love with the young vampire as a boy, and has been with her ever since. Eli doesn't enjoy killing. The old man, wishing to spare Eli the pain of it, goes out and finds unfortunate victims to kill and drain for Eli. The relationship between the old man and Eli is sweet, and rather unsettling. There's a lot of that in this movie.
Meanwhile, a group of adults that live in the small town have grown suspicious of new man and his "daughter," what with all the recent killings, and one man even saw Eli kill and feed upon a man when her protector failed to collect blood for her. That scene is one of my favorites; it's gritty and violent, disturbing, and it would fit well in a horror film. But the emotion Eli displays afterward, when she breaks down and sobs over the mans dead body, makes it hard to see Eli as a monster.
The movie is filled with emotion as Eli and Oskar explore their feelings for each other, as well as a drama as the group of adults dive deeper into the mystery that has befallen them. The plot is spattered everywhere with blood and corpses, yet I wouldn't call it a horror movie. It all culminates in a rather shocking and disturbing end that will leave you gasping, and possibly throwing up. Seriously, it's fucked up. It is the epitome of the twisted themes present in the rest of the movie, and you'll probably find yourself fighting back tears over the sweet emotion between the two main characters, while at the same time trying not to vomit from the terror and evil of it all. It takes all of the emotions displayed over the course of the film and throws them all at you at once, leaving you not quite knowing what to think.
Overall, an excellent film and a refreshing divergence from the increasingly regurgitated Hollywood formula. Not for the faint-heart or the narrow-minded (by the way, if you're narrow minded gtfo off my blog, I don't like you.), fans of the darker side of entertainment will enjoy this movie.
I'll try not to give too much away, but if you absolutely must not know anything about the movie, I suggest not reading this post. Otherwise, read on, and hopefully you might consider seeing the movie yourself. If you don't want to shell out the $18.00 or so, I suggest you seek alternate methods of obtaining the movie, *wink-wink*
Let the Right One In centers around Oskar, a frail, bullied 12 year old boy with a lot of rage and hatred pent up inside of him. Oskar has no real friends until the mysterious Eli moves in next door. Eli is a 12 year old girl, and she is also a vampire. In Eli Oskar finds someone to share his darker feelings with, and Eli encourages him to fight back against his bullies.
The relationship between Eli and Oskar is a lot like puppy love, only deeper and darker. Oskar doesn't find out what Eli really is until later in the movie, but he is suspicious from the beginning. They are both young, and they act their age. Though we never find out how old Eli is, she says at one point "I'm 12, but I've been 12 for a long time." She still has the mindset and impulses of a 12 year old. The love between the two is rather touching, and there is clearly a deep connection between them beyond the usual 12 year old range of emotion, though I don't think either of them clearly understands it. It's unhealthy to say the least, but that's what it's like to be in love with a vampire.
Also present in the story is an unnamed old man who takes care of Eli. We never find out how Eli and the old man know each other, but my personal theory is that he fell in love with the young vampire as a boy, and has been with her ever since. Eli doesn't enjoy killing. The old man, wishing to spare Eli the pain of it, goes out and finds unfortunate victims to kill and drain for Eli. The relationship between the old man and Eli is sweet, and rather unsettling. There's a lot of that in this movie.
Meanwhile, a group of adults that live in the small town have grown suspicious of new man and his "daughter," what with all the recent killings, and one man even saw Eli kill and feed upon a man when her protector failed to collect blood for her. That scene is one of my favorites; it's gritty and violent, disturbing, and it would fit well in a horror film. But the emotion Eli displays afterward, when she breaks down and sobs over the mans dead body, makes it hard to see Eli as a monster.
The movie is filled with emotion as Eli and Oskar explore their feelings for each other, as well as a drama as the group of adults dive deeper into the mystery that has befallen them. The plot is spattered everywhere with blood and corpses, yet I wouldn't call it a horror movie. It all culminates in a rather shocking and disturbing end that will leave you gasping, and possibly throwing up. Seriously, it's fucked up. It is the epitome of the twisted themes present in the rest of the movie, and you'll probably find yourself fighting back tears over the sweet emotion between the two main characters, while at the same time trying not to vomit from the terror and evil of it all. It takes all of the emotions displayed over the course of the film and throws them all at you at once, leaving you not quite knowing what to think.
Overall, an excellent film and a refreshing divergence from the increasingly regurgitated Hollywood formula. Not for the faint-heart or the narrow-minded (by the way, if you're narrow minded gtfo off my blog, I don't like you.), fans of the darker side of entertainment will enjoy this movie.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
How I Felt One Day
I wrote this as an email to a dear friend of mine. I feel it belongs here.
I find myself reflecting on my life and where I stand, and how it sucks to be so strange and how I would not have it any other way. I'm the youngest of all my cousins, and out of all 12 of us I'm the only gay one, as far as I know. As much as I accept that, I find it still bothers me a great deal, and I wish it didn't, but it does. Somehow I still find myself questioning my faith and whether or not I'm doing okay by God. I tell you this because for some reason I find I can tell the my more somber thoughts and you'll actually have something useful to say. At least that's why I think I tell you.
I was going through some boxes in my house and I came across a box containing all of my Grandmother's Funeral things. That's how I got into this state of mind. Oh how I would have loved to have been able to have just one meaningful conversation with her. But she died before I became mature enough to care, sadly. I was sixteen. I only discovered what a wise and understanding woman she was after she died. I hate that I had to realize that second-hand.
My family is very important to me. Despite how hard I try to live freely of anyone's approval or disapproval, I find myself caring very much what they think of me. I don't know if that's a good thing or not.
I hate living back at home. I feel tethered down. But I have to endure it long enough to get back into Grand Valley, where I can hopefully flourish. But I have doubts even if that would be the right move. I have no idea what I want my life to be like in the distant future, so it's hard to plan for it. All I know for sure is that I want to write. and I want to be loved.
Love. I'm pretty sure my two favorite things in this world are art and love. Friends and family fall under love. Art includes any and all forms of it. But perhaps "beauty" would be a better world. Today I found myself positively transfixed by the bare tree in my front yard. I was nearly brought to tears by its sheer beauty, and certainly a tree is not art. Yes, love and beauty. My two favorite things.
I feel a void in my life. I once hoped you could fill it but it was not to be. I don't know where to look for a lover (for lack of a better word). So I look on the interned. But I'm not like that. It isn't working. But I have no idea what to do about it. All I know is that I ache for someone to hold, to love and who would love me as well. Someone to share with my love, pain, affection, laughter, tears, and desire with. Do you know the feeling?
It's amazing how I can have so many dear, dear friends, as well as a close family, and yet feel so alone. Again I wonder if I'm doing right by God. Maybe I'm not, and that's why I'm lonely. But I don't know if that's how I really feel, or if that's how I think I'm supposed to feel. It's all very confusing, you know? I just wish I could know how I really feel. I do know I don't want anyone to tell me how I feel. But it would be nice if someone could show me how to sort out the voices in my head to figure out which one is mine.
Belaw. That noise seems to best describe how I'm feeling right now. Hmm.
I find myself reflecting on my life and where I stand, and how it sucks to be so strange and how I would not have it any other way. I'm the youngest of all my cousins, and out of all 12 of us I'm the only gay one, as far as I know. As much as I accept that, I find it still bothers me a great deal, and I wish it didn't, but it does. Somehow I still find myself questioning my faith and whether or not I'm doing okay by God. I tell you this because for some reason I find I can tell the my more somber thoughts and you'll actually have something useful to say. At least that's why I think I tell you.
I was going through some boxes in my house and I came across a box containing all of my Grandmother's Funeral things. That's how I got into this state of mind. Oh how I would have loved to have been able to have just one meaningful conversation with her. But she died before I became mature enough to care, sadly. I was sixteen. I only discovered what a wise and understanding woman she was after she died. I hate that I had to realize that second-hand.
My family is very important to me. Despite how hard I try to live freely of anyone's approval or disapproval, I find myself caring very much what they think of me. I don't know if that's a good thing or not.
I hate living back at home. I feel tethered down. But I have to endure it long enough to get back into Grand Valley, where I can hopefully flourish. But I have doubts even if that would be the right move. I have no idea what I want my life to be like in the distant future, so it's hard to plan for it. All I know for sure is that I want to write. and I want to be loved.
Love. I'm pretty sure my two favorite things in this world are art and love. Friends and family fall under love. Art includes any and all forms of it. But perhaps "beauty" would be a better world. Today I found myself positively transfixed by the bare tree in my front yard. I was nearly brought to tears by its sheer beauty, and certainly a tree is not art. Yes, love and beauty. My two favorite things.
I feel a void in my life. I once hoped you could fill it but it was not to be. I don't know where to look for a lover (for lack of a better word). So I look on the interned. But I'm not like that. It isn't working. But I have no idea what to do about it. All I know is that I ache for someone to hold, to love and who would love me as well. Someone to share with my love, pain, affection, laughter, tears, and desire with. Do you know the feeling?
It's amazing how I can have so many dear, dear friends, as well as a close family, and yet feel so alone. Again I wonder if I'm doing right by God. Maybe I'm not, and that's why I'm lonely. But I don't know if that's how I really feel, or if that's how I think I'm supposed to feel. It's all very confusing, you know? I just wish I could know how I really feel. I do know I don't want anyone to tell me how I feel. But it would be nice if someone could show me how to sort out the voices in my head to figure out which one is mine.
Belaw. That noise seems to best describe how I'm feeling right now. Hmm.
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