Imagine yourself as a flat piece of paper. Now imagine yourself being folded up into a three dimensional figure. Do you have volume or are you just faking it?

Welcome to my little piece of hell. There are many like it, but this one's mine.

I had originally intended this blog as a depository of stray thoughts, my own private, messy, whorly, animistic mess where I can scream my little self-absorbed heart's content. What I did not expect, of course, was the reaction I got from people reading my blog.

A friend of mine called it an "emotional white dwarf", and failed to explain what he meant by that term (he did give a well-reasoned opinion of what he thought of my blog. He just didn't really tell me what he meant by the term).

Another common reaction to people that haven't read it was to tell others not to read it. Look. Virgins have no right to complain about bad sex.

I would personally give myself a 3 out of 5. Given my problems with vocalising my thoughts in a compartmentalised manner, I would consider the entries of the blog a fair effort.

I was, however, pleasantly surprised to find that my good friend Edward not only reads the entries, but took the time to give me a nice link. Edward, for those who don't know, is an absolute snob and a linguistic purist, and his blog is probably one of the most interesting I've read. Granted, I would love to see more than just cross references of interesting articles, but it's fun to read for the interesting commentary.

Since we're out giving referrals, here's a link to the only other blog I read on a semi-regular basis. It's owned by a pair of sisters, Victoria and Gloria. It's strange, surreal and a little more than angsty, but the sheer raw honesty of the blog draws me back time and again. It's like watching Gilmore Girls starring two senior Gilmores, except the cast of Gilmore Girls looks ever-so-slightly better looking.

I have a number of inspirations for this blog. Something Positive is a cartoon that would make this blog look absolutely Bambi-ish in comparison. The artist, R.K Millholland, possesses a scathing wit that I can only dream to equal. His new comic, New Gold Dream, is more of an acquired taste (being based on the ever-popular shrine of geek-dom, D&D), but is incredibly funny as well. Go check out Umya especially.

I've also discovered an excellent webcomic today - Queen of Wands. The artwork's some of the best I've ever seen in a web-comic, but it's really the emotive script that draws me to it. Go check it out - and read especially the story arc where the characters are introducing their back story. If it doesn't strike you as being particularly profound, please check with your local Darwinist for immediate removal from the gene pool.

Your quote for the day. Something I found on a website dedicated to Babylon 5. This excerpt is simultaneously a profound statement on the search for God and a devastatingly accurate salvo on the state of organised religion. To give some context, the character here, G'kar was -very- surprised to find that his journals had become religious books in his homeworld. Here, a crowd of would-be disciples wish for G'kar to impart his religious wisdom.

Student: What is Truth—what is God?

G’Kar: If I take a lamp and shine it toward the wall, a bright spot will appear on the wall. The lamp is our search for truth, for understanding. Too often, we assume that the light on the wall is God, but the light is not the goal of the search, it is the result of the search. The more intense the search, the brighter the light on the wall. The brighter the light on the wall, the greater the sense of revelation upon seeing it. Similarly, someone who does not search, who does not bring a lantern with him, sees nothing.

What we perceive as God is the by-product of our search for God. It may simply be an appreciation for the light, pure and unblemished. Not understanding that it comes from us. Sometimes we stand in front of the light and assume that we are the center of the universe. God looks astonishingly like we do. Or we turn to look at our shadow and assume that all is darkness. If we allow ourselves to get in the way, we defeat the purpose, which is to use the light of our search to illuminate the wall in all its beauty and in all its flaws. And in so doing to better understand the world around us.

Student: Ah, yes, but what is Truth and what is God?

G’Kar: [sigh] Truth is a...river."

Student: And what is God?

G’Kar: God is...the mouth of the river.

Students (in general): AHHH...(very pleased with the final answer)

Funny stuff.