Merry Christmas!

Master Rodacre here circa 1977
(note the sweet Battlestar Galactica jammies)

Holiday Wish List 2006

A few years ago, I decided to get in touch with my holiday roots: I made myself a Christmas List.

I hadn't really done such a thing since I was a kid and I figured since I was an adult now, I may as well start wishing big. So amid the various books, Lego kits, video games, and shaving supplies that adorned my list, I dropped in a few things not found in a shopping mall - both tangible and intangible: wisdom, happiness, a new car, a rewarding career, prosperity for those less fortunate than myself... you get the idea.

I emailed my list to friends and family (this was before the blog boom) with the disclaimer that I seriously didn't expect anyone to get me anything on my list (though it was certainly helpful to those who wanted to give me presents). And to my surprise I did get a fair amount of things on my list! But what I really wanted in return was a list from everyone else - just to see what other people wanted - just to encourage people to wish for whatever they wanted regardless if people could buy it in a store or find it in a catalogue. Because the very act of putting it out there - of saying to the universe, "These are my desires for myself and for others" - just that act can make miracles happen in our lives.

So this year, I present to you my Holiday Wish List 2006. As in years past, this is full of practical gifts and the more esoteric. Thanks to the wonders of the internet, most of the tangible items at least are available for y'all to click on. The intangible ones - not so much. And once again, if you wanna get me something - fantastic. If you don't, then don't. What I really want is for you to sit down and think about what it is you want in your life. What do you want for your loved ones? What is it that you wish for? Sky's the limit... it's a wish... it can be anything you want...

And then I want you to write it down. Post it in my comments here. Post it on your own blog. Write it on a scrap of paper and tell me about it. Make an Amazon wish list. However you do it, just get it out there.

Seriously? The results may surprise you...

INTANGIBLES

• love
  
• wisdom
• happiness
• inner peace
• the ability to help others see beauty in the world
• success and happiness for my family and friends - however they may define it
• a fun, challenging and personally rewarding career
• inspiration
• prosperity
• poetry
• song
• togetherness
• solitude
• understanding
• fun
• creativity

TANGIBLES

EASY STUFF

• a kiss/a hug/a smile
  
• Starbucks gift cards
• Gap/Old Navy/Macy's gift cards
• Borders/Barnes & Noble gift cards
• Target gift cards
• T-Mobile gift cards/minutes
  
• cool shaving stuff/MACH3 blades/FUSION blades
• XL black boxer briefs
• thick black socks
• dress black socks
• overnight travel bag (for clothes n stuff)
• bed sheets flannel or 300+ TC (queen)
• tool set (always handy)
• vintage travel/movie/alcohol posters calendar
• coffee
  

complete amazon listing here:


FUN STUFF

• McFarlane Toys 6" LOST Series 1 Box Set with light " The Hatch"
• Scrabble: Classic Edition
• XL - Battlestar Galactica T-Shirt
• XL - Battlestar Galactica Hoodie
• XL - LOST thermal shirt
• LOST Season 3 Poster
• LOST Hanso Mug
• Ragnar Bust
• Casio Remote Control Watch!

DVD's

Armageddon -- Criterion Collection DVD ~ Ben Affleck

Back to the Future - The Complete Trilogy (Widescreen Edition) DVD ~ Michael J. Fox

Cars (Widescreen Edition) DVD ~ Owen Wilson

Clerks II (Two-Disc Widescreen Edition) DVD ~ Rosario Dawson

Firefly - The Complete Series DVD ~ Ron Glass

Forbidden Planet (Ultimate Collector's Edition) DVD ~ Walter Pidgeon

Grey's Anatomy - Season One DVD ~ Patrick Dempsey

Grey's Anatomy - Season Two DVD ~ Grey's Anatomy

It's a Wonderful Life (60th Anniversary Edition) DVD ~ James Stewart

King Kong (Three-Disc Deluxe Extended Edition) DVD ~ Peter Jackson

Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (Widescreen Edition) DVD ~ Robert Downey Jr.

Lovers of the Arctic Circle DVD ~ Najwa Nimri

Memento (2000) (Widescreen Special Edition) DVD ~ Guy Pearce

Mission - Impossible III (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition) DVD ~ Tom Cruise

Network (Two-Disc Special Edition) DVD ~ Faye Dunaway

Nip/Tuck - The Complete First Two Seasons DVD ~ Nip

Nip/Tuck - The Complete Third Season DVD ~ Nip

Pirates Of The Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest (Widescreen Edition) DVD ~ Johnny Depp

Pirates of the Caribbean - The Curse of the Black Pearl (Two-Disc Collector's Edition) DVD ~ Johnny Depp

Serenity (Widescreen Edition) DVD ~ Chiwetel Ejiofor

Starship Troopers (Special Edition) DVD ~ Casper Van Dien

Starship Troopers 2 - Hero of the Federation DVD ~ Bill Brown (IV)

Superman II - The Richard Donner Cut DVD ~ Christopher Reeve

Superman Ultimate Collector's Edition DVD ~ Christopher Reeve

The Fantastic Films of Ray Harryhausen - Legendary Monster Series (Jason and the Argonauts / The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad / The Golden Voyage of Sinbad / Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger / The 3 Worlds of Gulliver) DVD ~ Todd Armstrong

The Greatest American Hero - The Complete Series (free Cape and Notebook included!) DVD ~ Gabrielle Beaumont

V for Vendetta (Widescreen Two-Disc Special Edition) DVD ~ Natalie Portman

MUSIC

Apartment Life ~ Ivy

Battlestar Galactica: Season 2 ~ John Avila

Battlestar Galactica: Season One ~ Bear McCreary

Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain ~ Sparklehorse

Eyes Open ~ Snow Patrol

Guestroom ~ Ivy

In the Clear ~ Ivy

Long Distance ~ Ivy

The Fountain ~ Kronos Quartet

Till the Sun Turns Black ~ Ray LaMontagne

Time Without Consequence ~ Alexi Murdoch

Under the Iron Sea ~ Keane

ELECTRONICS

Apple 30 GB iPod video Black (5.5 Generation) by Apple Computer

Philips HTS9800 DVD Home Theater System by Philips

Sony KDL-46V2500 46" Bravia V-Series 1080p LCD HDTV Offered by Ace Digital Clubby Sony

Sony PlayStation 3 (60GB) by Sony Computer Entertainment

VIDEO GAMES - all PS2 unless noted

24 The Game Offered by OGamingstoreby 2K Games

Bully by Rockstar Games

Deus Ex for PlayStation 2 by Activision Inc.

God of War by Sony Computer Entertainment

Justice League Heroes by Eidos

Katamari Damacy by Namco

Lego Star Wars by Eidos

Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (PS2) by Lucas Arts Entertainment

Okami by Capcom

ONLY IF PURCHASED WITH PS3 Resistance: Fall Of Man Offered by J&R Music and Computer Worldby Sony Computer Entertainment

Run Like Hell for PlayStation 2 Offered by Targetby Sony Computer Entertainment

We Love Katamari by Namco

BIG TICKET ITEMS

• A house of my own
• 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid
• Sanyo Intelligent Massage Chair with Stiffness Sensors (SA850)
• Apple MacBook Pro MA464LL/A 15.4" Notebook PC (2.0 GHz Intel Core Duo, 1 GB RAM, 100 GB Hard Drive, SuperDrive)

Why I Love the Internet Vol. 23

It's as if she's really inside my heart, you know? Like she just "gets" me... Can you believe it? It's like it was meant to be! Please read on... As emailed to me via myspace.com:

Hi handsome!

I didn't have the courage to approach you in person, so I hope you consider my letter. I have so much inside my heart that it keeps me from breathing sometimes. I know we have not met but these feelings that I have for you keep glowing and growing every seconds. Now that I am sending you letter, I sleep thinking about you and the next morning I wake up smiling. It's amazing how you got me and trapped me. I never thought I could love this much but I was so wrong. I just thank God for having you.I pray that We were meant for each other and no one can change that. I love you with ALL my heart. Am Isabel by name and single still searching,right now i traveled down to africa for some business with an african guy and right now am having problem here now.when i got down here he turned out to be a robber he stole my money and jewelries now the hotel am staying siezed my return ticket cuz am owing some money,so i'll like you to help me with the bills so i can get back my ticket and get home,i promise you'll never regret u did,i dont mind relocating to meet you.

You could as well contact me on my email address


Isabel

Just you wait, Isabel! I'm getting my checkbook right now!

Potential

“I believe that when you realize who you really are, you understand that nothing can stop you from becoming that person.”
- Christine Lincoln

For as long as I can remember, I have had potential.

This is what I have been told, anyway.

Parents, teachers, religious leaders, gurus, friends, girlfriends, self-help books, co-workers, employers, television shows, movies, comic books, mentors, and once even my cat, have all told me of the potential I have stored within me. Granted, the cat scenario may have come up in a haze of wine and prescription drugs, but nevertheless, I have been told by many that I have a bounty of talents and gifts to bestow upon the world should I only have the desire, the inspiration – the courage – to do so.

I am certain I’m not the only one who has ever been told of the greatness they possess within. I think we even get glimpses of it from time to time… like when we really come through in a crunch at work… or when we just feel like we are in ‘the flow’ of life and everything just clicks… or for some, we see it from the bottom of a tequila shooter and think we can do just about anything… It’s different for everyone, but we all get glimpses of how we could be – if we only applied ourselves a little more… if we only tried a little harder… if we only cared less of what others thought and did what we knew was true and right.

I find it curious that we all have cheerleaders who see the greatness within us when we ourselves are blinded by mediocrity. Although it’s in our nature to be better than we are, we often get stuck in the comfort of “just good enough.” Maybe that’s why we have our cheerleaders: to shake us out of our stupor long enough for us to realize that this is not all there is. To hold up the mirror of “what could be” instead of the mirror of “how things have always been.”

Then again, maybe our cheerleaders need to believe in us because they can’t – or won’t – believe in themselves. Maybe if they can get us to change, it would give them hope that they can change too?

I know I have the potential to be great. And, for that matter, I know you do too.

So what are we gonna do about it?

That’s the question isn’t it?

Consistency

If there's one thing you can be sure of, it's that I am consistently inconsistent.

We can chalk it up to procrastination by way of perfectionistic tendencies and an inherent dislike for writing despite my apparent proficiency for the craft. You might not think it, but it takes a lot to get something out there in the world - be it a blog entry, a painting or a child - and for me, if I can't do it right and take the time that I need to, then it's better off not being done in the first place.

And since I tend not to share what's going on in my head as a rule, the fact that I have a blog is something of an anomaly. However, today is a rather important day because today is the very reason you and I are here at this very moment:

Today is my 36th birthday.

As it turns out, I have never been as old as I am at this very second.

I guess in the grand scheme of things, events haven't unfolded as I thought they might by this time in my life - though if experience has taught me anything, they rarely do. And often they develop in ways you couldn't possibly have imagined. I know this intellectually, but it's a strange concept to wrap one's head around.

I don't know what I expected 36 to feel like. I mean right now it feels a lot like 35 which felt pretty close to 30 which wasn't so far off from 27 and so on. We're all just children evolved aren't we? Children with car payments and failed relationships and jobs that keep a roof over our heads? Children with much too much to learn and not enough time...

I'm still learning who I am and how I fit in this world. I am still learning how I affect others. I am still learning how others affect me. I am still learning how to feel. I am still learning how to move confidently in the world. I am still learning how to be a good friend, brother, son. I am still learning how to see the world. I do not regret how I live my life. I just know that there is more to learn and see and do.

At 36, I am still learning how to be.

And if I can't do it right and take the time that I need to, then it's better off not being done in the first place.

Hey, at least I'm consistent...

Caption This!

Insert witty comment here

Mr. Spock vs. Mr. Rodacre

These past two weeks have been pretty tough for me.

See, I am generally the stable one in any bunch. I don't have huge emotional outbursts or mood swings. I am usually the calm, cool and collected type who doesn't get overly excited or upset about anything. Even-keel. The rock. The logical one who tries to help everyone else calm down.

That said, when I experience emotional highs or lows, EVERYONE notices despite my best efforts to maintain a low profile. And then of course I choose not to talk about it because I fail to see the logic in expressing my emotions with others much less talk about them because why put anyone else through what I'm going through?

Anyway, that's me in a nutshell. So with that in mind I present to you a side by side comparison of the always-logical, emotions-in-check, Mr. Spock and myself:

Subject		Mr. Spock		Mr. Rodacre
Lineage		an alien hybrid: born of a vulcan father and human mother		an italian/european hybrid: born of human father and mother (so far as we know)
Emotions		Learned to control emotions through years of practice and meditation		Learned to control emotions through years of passive/aggressive behavior
Friends		Very few close friends. Most of them highly emotional humans. The good of the many, outweighs the good of the few… or the one.		Very few close friends. All of them highly emotional humans. The good of the few, or the one, outweighs the good of the many.
Dating		Chicks dig him because he's mysterious, logical and emotionally distant		Chicks dig him because he's mysterious, logical and emotionally distant
Sex		Experiences the pon farr every seven years and returns to Vulcan to find a mate		Experiences horniness every… well… less than seven years let's say… and returns to internet dating services to find a mate
Technology		Uses current technology to discover new life and new civilizations		Uses current technology to discover new dates and future ex-girlfriends