I wish the internets weren't so quiet on the weekends

[theatokos]

Starting to feel the lack of close friends nearby. This must mean I'm getting settled in. I'm also pretty tired of running so much energy - energy to figure things out, energy to be present with all the change and a little boy who's teething molars and is SUPERHIGHENERGY and must nurse ALLTHEDAMNTIME, energy to sit still for several hours a time and think Deep Thoughts, energy to run more errands, energy to muster self-care.

Most evenings we just sit around and watch tv altogether. We're on a Glee and Avatar kick here. I really want Glee to work its kinks out. There is so very much to love about it, and hot holy shit can they sing. But the writers have bitten off a little bit more than they can chew. We just finished episode 5, so I'm hoping this is just first season kinks. Hope springs eternal.

And what is there to say about Avatar? It may be the perfect tv program. Bennett even has his own hand sign for it. He walks up, makes the sign and points to the computer room. Do you think a stuffed Apa exists? (pauses to google that - why, yes, they do!)

Speaking of spiritual stuff, I sang in chapel with the choir today for the first time. How boring is the Anglican service? Snoozefest. Some of it is really beautiful. I really like the priest, he is sincere and smart and has a wonderful speaking voice. But why must Anglicans be so serious and formal all time? And why do the readers sound like they're reading a dry academic tome? Especially when reading about shouting for joy at the wonders God has made! It was the first time in.... I can't even remember, that I attended a non-Orthodox service. Of course, it's been a long time since I went to church period. I realized sitting there today that I can't even 'translate' the creeds anymore. I am not 'over' Christianity, not by a long shot, but I am certainly no Christian anymore.

Comments

[bravenewcentury.livejournal.com]

I want a stuffed Appa LIKE CRAZY. Actually I want a real one, but stuffed is slightly more realistic.

Does the CinW use Common Worship? 'Cause I do quite like CW, though it can be super dependant on the celebrant (I remember hearing the same Eucharistic prayer used by the very High Church Succentor at Durham Cathedral and then a few weeks later by the priest at my friend's MotR/evo parish in Oxford and the difference was kind of hilarious). I think often with people reading the lessons you can really tell if they've read through and thought about the text beforehand. Sometimes I'm not sure if I'm listening to the Bible or someone's shopping list...

[ewigweibliche.livejournal.com]

Ohmygosh, yes, we must get an Apa doll in this house. I know what I'm- I mean, Bennett- is getting for Christmas!

The service seemed pretty standard to me. Nothing unusual. I loved the opening hymn: it was basically calling in the four elements! When invoking or praising nature, I usually can get behind Christian stuff. I just can't stand the constant Father God and Lord language. And I really don't believe substitutionary atonement. I don't believe God needs an economical exchange for sin. I *do* believe in the salvific nature of the Incarnation and the Resurrection. For me, crucifixion is just a by product of being right with God and oneself. People get murdered every day - how is that redemptive? But the Incarnation and the resurrection? That's some cool shit right there.

[bravenewcentury.livejournal.com]

Reading (most of) The Crucified God in my first year at Durham killed off any lingering attachment I might have had to penal substitution. The Cross is very important to me, but as a culmination of the Incarnation, and the idea of interpreting anything about Jesus' ministry apolitically makes no sense to me- as does treating the Resurrection like the prize tacked on to the end rather than the entire point and driving purpose of everything.

Heh, I am really starting to feel my almost total lack of grounding in systematics here *retreats into weird languages*.

[ewigweibliche.livejournal.com]

Hey no worries. I talk about stuff I know nothing about all the time! And I'm pretty sure you can hold a conversation about systematic stuff, smartypants. ;)

[msmidge.livejournal.com]

I haven't heard of Avatar. What is it?

[chiv.livejournal.com]

depending on who you are, it's either 'the greatest story ever told' (in all connotations of the phrase) of it's yet more animé rubbish snapped up by one or another of the kids TV networks to fill the time slot once occupied by Ulysses 31, Transformers, or Turtles or Biker Mice or Power Rangers etc*.

*anyone else but me noticing how cartoons have steadily got worse since the early 80's?

[ewigweibliche.livejournal.com]

You, my friend, are watching the wrong cartoons! I think they've only gotten better! Anything Craig McCracken does is a winner. What about Flap Jack? That shit is brilliant.

What I'm sick of are live action remakes of cartoons. Have you heard that M Night Shamalyan (or however you spell it) is making a live action Last Airbender? GAH.

Cartoon Utopia

[epymetheus.livejournal.com]

Chiv-I don't know what you spend your time watching, but now has never been a better time for cartoons. Since the revolution in the late '80s of the Simpsons and Beavis and Butthead (sprung from LiquidTV, the same MTV show that created Aeon Flux) the doors have blown off of animation. Not only is there more interesting and well-made animation available for adults (see Adult Swim for great shows like Birdman Attorney at Law, Robot Chicken, Home Movies, Squidbillies and Aqua Teen Hunger Force, not to mention the Family Guy, King of the Hill, Daria, and South Park, not to mention the Animatrix, an astounding collection of all styles of animation), there's also copious amounts of good animation for kids as well. Ewigweibliche already threw down Craig McCracken, whose credits include Dexter's Laboratory, PowerPuff Girls and Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, all animation gold, but she left out Genndy Tarkanian, who worked with Craig on Dexter's and PowerPuff but also created the amazing Samurai Jack. Add to that the stunning opus that is Spongebob Squarepants, as well as Flapjack, Chowder, My Fairly Oddparents, The Mighty B and Jimmy Neutron and things look REALLY good for animated cartoons right now. Sure, there's still a lot of shit on TV (Ed, Edd and Eddie still baffles me and I hated the Grim Adventures Billy and Mandy), you can't get around that, but to say that cartoons have gotten steadily worse since the early '80s is just silly. Animation has in a great way moved past the formulaic team adventure show that dominated the '80s (Thundercats, Silverhawks, GI Joe, Transformers, M.A.S.K., Centurions, He-Man and She-Ra) and into some really amazing, thoughtful and funny places. And that's only TV shows. Factor in the amazing movies we're getting from Pixar and Dreamworks (Kung-Fu Panda was a revelation) and it's very difficult not to say this is a stunning time in animation. I can't say with any surety that it's going to stay this way. Talking to Craig McCracken and his wife Lauren Faust at Comic-Con this year it sounded like Cartoon Network is moving in a very disappointing direction: away from cartoons. So our renaissance may well be in decline, but the last 10 years have certainly been an amazing time for animation.

[ewigweibliche.livejournal.com]

Oh my goodness, I think you'd love and so would Sam! It's a three season Nickelodeon cartoon. It's based on Asian cultures - I've read that the series uses a host of experts to help them. It's a world in which there are four elemental kingdoms- Air is like Tibet (and the last Airbender is the Avatar and every one is after him), Fire is like Japan, Water is the polar/Inuit tribes, and Earth like China and then some. Each have their own sort of martial art. It's the adventures of a group of kids who help the Avatar, a 12 yr old boy named Aang, to defeat the Fire nation who is taking over the world by war. The characters are great and the story telling is superb.

It's WONDERFUL. Seriously, it's like reading the Bible or something. I feel like I've learned something, been made to think, been wrapped up in the story, and entertained.

[chiv.livejournal.com]

For me, a church service is heavily reliant the minister/pastor/vicar (delete as applicable). However, I'm much more comfortable with Anglican or Episcopal than I am with the happy-clappy, fainting in the aisles, ridiculousness of gospel services and all that "wailing and gnashing of teeth".
The minister at the Uni chapel, Matthew, is a great chap and a Sci-Fi fan to boot. We spent a fair amount of time last year, as and when we bumped into each other, comparing notes on BSG.

[ewigweibliche.livejournal.com]

Oh I very much like Matthew! A lot. I like that he's a film and sci-fi fan. I am not a fan of the pentacostal and evangelical styles of worship either. I just find the general service dull. Like, would a little joy or mischief or enthusiasm hurt the congregants? Everyone is taking things just so damn seriously.