Join the Black Parade
Today is the day, folks, the mighty day on which The Black Parade made its triumphal entry into public life. It was a grand time, too. I left school and immediately trekked on south to Crossgates mall to pick up a copy that had been waiting for me for some time, thanks to my preorder. I wasted no time getting back to the car to listen to it, although I have to say it sounds a heck of a lot better on headphones. Wait, let me backtrack a bit. IT'S AWESOME. I would call it the apex of musical achievement, at least in my life time. I haven't made up my mind yet as to whether I like certain songs, but most of them, I have concluded, are amazing. So join up, kiddies. Go listen to the songs. You can get them online at theblackparade.com.
So one of the things I do when driving with my younger siblings is declare that various things are illegal, whether or not they really are. Today I decided that licking your elbow and viewing your own forehead are illegal. If you commit one of these heinous acts, the police will come to your house, put handcuffs on you, and take you to jail. These two crimes are so bad that they won't even read you your rights. Anyway, basically all they say is "you have the right to remain silent," which is kind of a given. That's like saying "you have a right to breathe" or "you have a right to think" (as opposed to keeping your mind blank, which is impossible). I guess what they mean is that they can't force you to say anything, but still, when you hear it on TV it just sounds a little bit funny. Everyone also knows that they get a free phone call, an attorney (you know, something I've been wondering for some time: what, if anything, is the difference between a lawyer and an attorney?), and an orange suit. If those orange suits weren't commonly attributed to inmates, I probably would wear one most of the time. Orange is such a cool color, because it doesn't rhyme with anything. I dare you to say "neither does purple," because that will allow me to say "yes, purple rhymes with smurple." If you get that, laugh and then award yourself 50 points.
I recently read Ender's Game for the first time since 9th grade, which was the first time I read it. Thus, I read it for the second time. I had forgotten a lot of what happened until I started reading it, at which point I basically remembered the whole story. I already knew the surprising plot twists, but regardless it was still a good book. It made me think of Starship Troopers, possibly my favorite book of all time, although it wasn't quite that good. I made an attempt to read the sequels back when I first read the book, but it's one of those stories that only exists once, and cannot be added on to. Even the last chapter of the book didn't fit into the story; as far as I'm concerned, the universe of Ender Wigging begins and ends with Battle School and IF Command School, much as Star Wars begins and ends with the rise and fall of the Galactic Empire under Palpatine. Later additions to the story just aren't true to the original spirit. I don't know if I'm getting my point across; I could probably get you to understand this concept verbally much more easily than I could here. Sequels sometimes enhance a plot, and sometimes act only as a desperate attempt to continue or revive a story that should have just been left alone. Please note that this was not the case with the Matrix; while it could, in some parallel universe, have existed just as well as a standalone movie, the continuation of the plot was quite intriguing. I'm also glad that George Lucas decided not to make Star Wars Episodes VII-IX, because that would ruin it. It's over, kids. There is no more Star Wars, so just forget about it. I mean come on, the expanded universe of Star Wars covers more time than the entire history of the earth. Is that really necessary? Just enjoy what exists, maybe imagine a little outside of the established plot, but leave it alone.
Dear me, I do tend to ramble. But seriously, we need to chill out as far as this "let's make a sequel to everything that is even remotely successful!" thing goes. It's ridiculous. By the way, today is the second day of my last week as a 17 year old. When I first turned 17, I didn't like it too much, but over the past 359 days (doesn't actually sound like very much, does it?) I've come to really enjoy it. I don't think I need the responsibilities of being a legal adult. What good is it going to do me? Granted, I can drive after 9 (wheeee...it's not like I really need to, and it's not like if I ever do need to, I won't), but what else can I really do? Oh, I can buy porn and tobacco legally! Yeah, I really have a whole lot of use for that. I can vote, but I don't really trust myself to make important decisions like that, even if I am one of a mass of people who vote. So tell me, what's the big deal? Why turn 18? I see no reason. Maybe I should skip my birthday, because I don't want to be an adult. That's probably the most depressing idea I've ever heard. I am finally, after all these years, no longer a kid, officially, legally, etc. I'll have to act like a kid, which is no problem, but I will no longer be a kid. No matter how hard I try, I will be an adult for the rest of my life. I'm going to treasure the remaining six days. It's all I've got left.
If life ain't just a joke, then why are we laughing?
Well, I've spent my writing abilities for right now. Many thoughts are going through my head, but I can't really pin any good ones down, so you'll just have to wait in agonizing suspense until the next time I pour out the contents of my soul via this wonderful electronic medium. Have fun living, and just remember: there are no coincidences. Everything, my friends, everything happens for a reason. Just think about that for a bit.
The End
So one of the things I do when driving with my younger siblings is declare that various things are illegal, whether or not they really are. Today I decided that licking your elbow and viewing your own forehead are illegal. If you commit one of these heinous acts, the police will come to your house, put handcuffs on you, and take you to jail. These two crimes are so bad that they won't even read you your rights. Anyway, basically all they say is "you have the right to remain silent," which is kind of a given. That's like saying "you have a right to breathe" or "you have a right to think" (as opposed to keeping your mind blank, which is impossible). I guess what they mean is that they can't force you to say anything, but still, when you hear it on TV it just sounds a little bit funny. Everyone also knows that they get a free phone call, an attorney (you know, something I've been wondering for some time: what, if anything, is the difference between a lawyer and an attorney?), and an orange suit. If those orange suits weren't commonly attributed to inmates, I probably would wear one most of the time. Orange is such a cool color, because it doesn't rhyme with anything. I dare you to say "neither does purple," because that will allow me to say "yes, purple rhymes with smurple." If you get that, laugh and then award yourself 50 points.
I recently read Ender's Game for the first time since 9th grade, which was the first time I read it. Thus, I read it for the second time. I had forgotten a lot of what happened until I started reading it, at which point I basically remembered the whole story. I already knew the surprising plot twists, but regardless it was still a good book. It made me think of Starship Troopers, possibly my favorite book of all time, although it wasn't quite that good. I made an attempt to read the sequels back when I first read the book, but it's one of those stories that only exists once, and cannot be added on to. Even the last chapter of the book didn't fit into the story; as far as I'm concerned, the universe of Ender Wigging begins and ends with Battle School and IF Command School, much as Star Wars begins and ends with the rise and fall of the Galactic Empire under Palpatine. Later additions to the story just aren't true to the original spirit. I don't know if I'm getting my point across; I could probably get you to understand this concept verbally much more easily than I could here. Sequels sometimes enhance a plot, and sometimes act only as a desperate attempt to continue or revive a story that should have just been left alone. Please note that this was not the case with the Matrix; while it could, in some parallel universe, have existed just as well as a standalone movie, the continuation of the plot was quite intriguing. I'm also glad that George Lucas decided not to make Star Wars Episodes VII-IX, because that would ruin it. It's over, kids. There is no more Star Wars, so just forget about it. I mean come on, the expanded universe of Star Wars covers more time than the entire history of the earth. Is that really necessary? Just enjoy what exists, maybe imagine a little outside of the established plot, but leave it alone.
Dear me, I do tend to ramble. But seriously, we need to chill out as far as this "let's make a sequel to everything that is even remotely successful!" thing goes. It's ridiculous. By the way, today is the second day of my last week as a 17 year old. When I first turned 17, I didn't like it too much, but over the past 359 days (doesn't actually sound like very much, does it?) I've come to really enjoy it. I don't think I need the responsibilities of being a legal adult. What good is it going to do me? Granted, I can drive after 9 (wheeee...it's not like I really need to, and it's not like if I ever do need to, I won't), but what else can I really do? Oh, I can buy porn and tobacco legally! Yeah, I really have a whole lot of use for that. I can vote, but I don't really trust myself to make important decisions like that, even if I am one of a mass of people who vote. So tell me, what's the big deal? Why turn 18? I see no reason. Maybe I should skip my birthday, because I don't want to be an adult. That's probably the most depressing idea I've ever heard. I am finally, after all these years, no longer a kid, officially, legally, etc. I'll have to act like a kid, which is no problem, but I will no longer be a kid. No matter how hard I try, I will be an adult for the rest of my life. I'm going to treasure the remaining six days. It's all I've got left.
If life ain't just a joke, then why are we laughing?
Well, I've spent my writing abilities for right now. Many thoughts are going through my head, but I can't really pin any good ones down, so you'll just have to wait in agonizing suspense until the next time I pour out the contents of my soul via this wonderful electronic medium. Have fun living, and just remember: there are no coincidences. Everything, my friends, everything happens for a reason. Just think about that for a bit.
The End
posted by The Chris at 5:37 PM
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