Warning: Stream-of-conciousness rant. Read at own risk.

I'm bored. There are lots of things that I could do, but none of them appeal to me at the moment. I cleaned my apartment earlier today, so that's something done, anyway.

So I'm going to sit here and type. I have no more clue as to what's coming than you do.

I need a haircut. I usually get one on a regular, semi-annual basis, but I missed the last one. Maybe the last two. It's pretty bad. Now that I think of it, I haven't trimmed the beard in a while, either. That might explain the looks I get in public these days.

A few weeks after I moved here I was visited by a pair of Mormon door-to-door missionaries. Why did I get the ones who obey Matthew 10:14? There's so much I want to talk about, so many questions to ask. "Who is more important: Jesus or Paul?", "How do you explain John 5:31 vs. John 8:14?", "How do you know which parts are literal and which are metaphorical?" That sort of thing. Really, I want to know. I'd ask Mom, but I like being allowed to visit occasionally.

I need to change cleaning supplies. My whole apartment (such as it is) smells like bleach.

A while ago, I finished the Charles de Lint books that I bought, plus I finally read Widdershins. I'll try to focus long enough to say something about them.

Little (Grrl) Lost - I didn't think it was as good as some of de Lint's other stuff, but it was good. I think it was more strongly aimed at a young teenage audience. It is only peripherally related to The Little Country. It takes place in Newford. The term used is 'Little' not 'Small'. There is one reference to Billy Dunthorn, but otherwise no narrative connection.

Promises to Keep - Very good. It's about the difference between what Jilly thinks she wants, and what she really wants. It's set during her time as a student at Butler U, and it also tells how she meets most of her circle of friends. And it has Olaf 'Goon' Goonaskaera in it (briefly). He's only a minor character in a few of de Lint's short stories, but he's a favorite of mine. He's actually king of the goblins, but in a sort of reverse Lucifer, he decided to serve above rather than rule below. This isn't mentioned in Promises to Keep, though.

Widdershins - Also very good. Like much of de Lint's stuff, it's about dealing with: the past, death, vengeance and other people. Plus crow girls.

I also recently read The Golden Compass, mainly because a lot of Xians seem to be all in a twist about the movie (which I also intend to see in the theater). Anyway, the book was pretty good, if a touch predictable. Good characters. When Pullman describes Lee Scoresby he had to have been picturing Sam Elliot. I have read that the movie chops off the last two chapters of the book, supposedly to use as the opening of a sequel. This could be an attempt to appease the fundies. By removing the last two chapters, most of the anti-religious theme is eliminated. From what I've seen on various blogs, it isn't working.

Back to Jesus vs. Paul. I think I've come up with an explanation for Xians tending to follow Paul's writings. Here's how I envision it:

Jesus:[just after the Ascension] "Dad! I'm home!"

Yahweh: "Welcome back, son. Did you do what I told you?"

Jesus: "I sure did. I taught them about tolerance for others, loving their enemies and forgiveness."

Yahweh: "What! You stupid hippie, that's not what I wanted. Now I have to fix your mess. I'll have that guy spread my real message."

Jesus: "But that guy tortures and kills people."

Yahweh: "I know. He's perfect."

That's the only way it makes sense that I can see.

Well, I'm getting hungry. Time to make dinner.

Later,