Christmas, Santa Claus, etc.

It's that time of year again... when we ponder the age-old question: "What does Santa Claus have to do with Jesus?"

What will it be this time?

Decided to get lunch earlier today... and wouldn't you know it? My car won't start. Cranked it several times, it just won't turn over. There was a faint smell of burnt plastic coming from under the hood. Never a good thing.

Can't be the battery, as I had just gotten a new one a few months ago, plus all the electronics in the car still seem to work fine. It's might be the starter, but that was also just replaced only a few months prior to the battery...

I guess it might be the alternator? I've had the battery and oil indicators flash on and off from time to time while I was driving, and I'm told that such is the typical indication of a bad alternator.


I'm gonna have to jump it later and pray that the car starts. After that... I hope the car shop is open tomorrow.

Last-minute Christmas shopping

Did my annual last-minute shopping today.

First, I went to Fry's Electronics. Long line of cars waiting to turn into the parking lot was really the only thing that was markedly different from usual, and an indication of other people also doing their last-minute Christmas shopping. I was able to find a good parking spot almost immediately after turning into the lot, so things were good.

I didn't find the exact things I was looking for, but acceptable substitutes were available, so that was that. The checkout line was only slightly longer than usual, thanks in no small part to them opening up many more checkout stands than usual.

Next stop, Bed Baths and Beyond. Not as many people come here looking for Christmas presents, apparently. Although I've pretty much been getting the same things for my mom and my sisters for the past three years... without any real idea if they actually like these gifts or not. Hopefully they do. Luckily, we mostly subscribe to the idea of "it's the thought that counts," so no major problems there.


So, despite getting my shopping done at only a few days before Christmas, it was relatively painless. Whee.

On the Run

These are music videos for Jay Chou's recent album, "On the Run" (literal translation is "I'm very busy").

1. 牛仔很忙
2. 彩虹
3. 陽光宅男
4. 我不配
5. 扯
6. 最長的電影
7. 青花瓷
   

Jesus in the Himalayas

I caught part of this documentary on Discovery HD yesterday. It seemed interesting enough, so I recorded it on DVR, and watched the full program today.

It investigated the possibility that Jesus may have travelled through the silk road to India and Tibet before he began his ministry, and after his crucifixion. Nothing conclusive was reached, but it offered up some possible evidence, chief among them were:

1. A tomb in Kashmir purported to be the tomb of Jesus after his crucifixion, because a small cross was found within it, and there was a food sculpture that seems to depict wounds on the foot that could correspond to Jesus' wounds from the crucifixion.
2. An ancient manuscript that detailed the life of Saint Issa, whose story was very similar to the life of Jesus as depicted in the Bible (except the part about traveling to India and Tibet).
3. The similarities between the Buddhist prayer beads--the Japa mala, and the Catholic rosary beads. Both have 108 beads, and these are the only religions with prayer beads.
   

The most important of these arguments is the ancient manuscript, according to the program. Unfortunately, it has long since vanished, not long after its translation was transcribed by Nicolas Notovitch. This document is what sparked the idea that Jesus went to India and Tibet. Without it, there is no way to prove that any of this actually happened. I don't know that even with it, would it offer irrefutable proof that this Issa is the same as Jesus.

The problem I have with the tomb theory is that it had a cross. The cross didn't become associated with Christianity until the second century AD, so there's no reason why Jesus would be buried with one.

The program then states both the Japa mala and the rosary have 108 beads. But this is not true--while the Japa mala traditionally does have 108 beads, rosary beads typically have 150.

It then further states that Christianity (Catholicism) and Buddhism are the only religions to use prayer beads, implying that Jesus brought the idea of using prayer beads to his followers due to influence from Buddhism. Yet this is also untrue, as there are several other religions that use prayer beads. Also, it is said that rosary beads were brought to St. Dominic by the Virgin Mary, not Jesus.

I'm in love with...

Warning: Porfanity

Not geeky at all

Found this picture while looking for Spaceballs pics online. That can't be comfortable.

They spinnin, they spinnin'!

Due to the nature of Blogger's image upload function, you'll have to click on the above image to see the animation. But when you do, take note of which direction she is spinning. It's supposed to tell you if you're looking with your creative (right) brain (if she spins clockwise), or your logical (left) brain (if she spins counter-clockwise).

Where's the magic?

If You Come Back to Me
Bowling for Soup

You were right
All along
You know I hate that--admitting I was wrong
So I don't answer the phone
When it's you
It's funny when I see
The caller ID that shows the phone line's still in your dad's name

So hey
I'm doing okay
And I'll get back to you if you come back to me
Your voice is so
Marilyn Monroe
It's funny how that
Makes me wanna smash the phone
I wonder if JFK ever felt this way

All alone
Like summer when it snows
So out of place
So out of those fake smiles
I used to do so well

And here's the part of the song where I start
To break down like my broken heart
But it's not gonna matter
The lines are all down
From a hurricane they should've named after you
Maybe I should get a Scorpions ringtone
To remind me of you

And hey
I'm doing okay
And I'll get back to you if you come back to me
And oh
Here we go
Just like a broken record skipping apart
That we both oughtta know by heart

We were right there, and now it seems so tragic
No happy ending, now this whole thing seems so drastic
You ask me twenty times where we could find our magic
Ask David Copperfield or even Ric Ocasek

David Blaine (Where's the magic?)
Lance Burton (Where's the magic?)
Harry Potter (Where's the magic?)
I used to think pop rocks were magic
Siegfried and Roy (Where's the magic?)
Shaquille O'Neal (Why'd you leave the Magic?)

You asked me twenty times, or was it twenty-eight?
And then your greatest trick ever was your great escape

So hey
I'm doing okay
And I'll get back to you if you come back to me
And oh
Here we go
Just like a broken record skipping apart
That we both oughtta know by heart
And I still can hear you singing along

Computer virus

My ex-girlfriend's work computer has been infected. I only know this because this virus is trying to propagate itself through her MSN Messenger contact list, and it tried to "contact" me.

We haven't really "talked" much after our breakup, so naturally I was suspicious when I received a send file (photo.zip) request from her Messenger, along with the following message in IM:

Hey just finished new myspace album! :) theres a few kinky ones in there!

Given that I'm her ex-boyfriend, there were only two possible explanations for such a message:

1. She meant to send the message and file to someone else, but accidentally sent them to me, instead.
2. It's a virus.

Not that I would mind if she did want to send me "kinky" pictures, but obviously a virus is the much more likely scenario. So I accepted the file, then had Symantec AntiVirus scan it when the transfer was complete. It didn't find anything.

Opened up the zip file, and sure enough, it had the tell-tale sign of being a virus: A command file (.com) thinly disguised as a JPEG.


So I IM'd her about the virus. But apparently she does not have administrative access to her computer at work, so her virus removal options are quite limited. I also remember her telling me while we were going out that she was not supposed to install any IM software, so that's probably preventing her from getting their office tech to fix it for her, since I still got a random message from her Messenger earlier today, although it didn't try to send me any files.

Al sandwich

I've read transcripts of the Weird Al/Avril Lavigne "interview," but have only recently got to watch it on YouTube. He usually has these on his Al TV stuff, when he has a new album out.

The interview below is pretty good, too. He basically made Eminem eat his own words.

Popstar

'Cause we all just wanna be...

Missing

When You're Gone
Avril Lavigne

I always needed time on my own
I never thought I'd need you there when I cry
And the days feel like years when I'm alone
And the bed where you lie
Is made up on your side

When you walk away
I count the steps that you take
Do you see how much I need you right now?

When you're gone
The pieces of my heart are missing you
When you're gone
The face I came to know is missing, too
When you're gone
The words I need to hear to always get me through the day
And make it okay
I miss you

I've never felt this way before
Everything that I do
Reminds me of you
And the clothes you left
They lie on the floor
And they smell just like you
I love the things that you do

When you walk away
I count the steps that you take
Do you see how much I need you right now?

When you're gone
The pieces of my heart are missing you
And when you're gone
The face I came to know is missing, too
And when you're gone
The words I need to hear to always get me through the day
And make it okay
I miss you

We were made for each other
Out here forever
I know we were
Yeah yeah
And all I ever wanted was for you to know
Everything I do, I give my heart and soul
I can hardly breathe, I need to feel you here with me, yeah

When you're gone
The pieces of my heart are missing you
And when you're gone
The face I came to know is missing, too
And when you're gone
The words I need to hear will always get me through the day
And make it okay
I miss you

Time Warp

Enjoy the music from The Rocky Horror Picture Show with footage from the various Star Trek shows. It doesn't have much to do with this post, but I thought its subject matter was appropriate.

Anyway, I just watched the pilot episode of NBC's new series, Journeyman. It's about a guy who, inexplicably, travels through time. His former fiancée, who died when the plane she was on for a business trip crashed, is portrayed by Moon Bloodgood, who I recognized from the TV show Day Break, another show that dealt with tripping time.

I just thought it was interesting that she's on anther show that deals with a similar subject. At least this time it seems there will be more of an explanation about the whole time warp thing.

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