the blog of Jerry Bolton
Academia
…paperseasonfall08
1Current Tunage: Mars Ill – The Life And Times Of A Simple Man
Old Ironsides. Classic Mars Ill material circa 2007.
I know, I know. I’m waiting too! Lots coming down the pipelines as soon as it’s ready. How does this sound:
2 Papers (aka Essays), 1 Journal, 1 Presentation, 1 Assignment. 1 week.
This week, that is. Yeah, I thought you’d understand: I’ve been up to my neck and down on my knees.
Anyways, I was just chilling out to some traditional Mars Ill grooves, namely the 5 Year Anniversary Edition of their 2001 classic debut “Raw Material”. Essentially, it’s kind of like a best-of. See, “Raw Material” was released twice. First it was released by Sphere of Hip-Hop (back when they did a little cd-releasing, instead of just being the kings of online conscious hip hop distro and assimilation). It had a couple tracks on it, namely “Destined to Be” and “Under the Sun” (featuring Listener) that weren’t on the next (and much more common) release. Which was the Uprok Records release, which instead of the aforementioned tracks, had two new ones – “The Abolition of Manchild” and “Fade to Black” featuring Sintax the Terrific. Other than rearranging the track orders, the two releases were identical in their remaining 17 tracks, quite a few of which were instrumental.
On the 5 year anniversary, they have all four of the above tracks. They also removed the beloved “Sphere of Hip Hop, Part 2″, but added “Sphere of Hip Hop, Part 3″ to fill the void (you can only fit so much on a disc). Further adding to the fray, they’ve added two versions of a song that was lost in Dust’s basement closet, entitled “Flipside” – represented with two beats, one by Playdough, one by Dave Kelly.
The only interesting catch? Everything but the “new” tracks is instrumental. Which is fine, because freaks like me have all the other songs already anyways.
I’m reminiscing about the 20-01 folks, and the ‘niscin is good.
…if you fail to see a problem (which i find hard to believe)
0Current Tunage: mewithoutYou – Leaf
“Gorgeosities”, sayeth me.
Today I’ve been thinking about the future, and by future I don’t mean the next month and the immensely vital time following it… but rather the more intangible, distant, cathartic-type future. My courses are booked for the coming school year, and with that done I’m thinking about the year after. Thinking about what I’d like to do with myself… thinking about more school or no more school, about the written word and law and speech and study… thinking about relocations, redefinitions, and rediscoveries.
Usually the sheer, staggering, limitless potential represented by the future does little but paralyse and/or smother my thinking. I think I need to spend some time, some prayer – getting used to this new future. I think I know what’s turned it from a dangerous unknown to a pleasant potential, too.
I’ll leave it at that for now – leave it at big words with few letters…
…bake me a pie
0Current Tunage: Casting Crowns – East to West
Probably the only really “CCM” artist that I truly enjoy, unequivocally.
Finished Francis Collins’ The Language of God. Really enjoyed the first half (very interesting stuff), and elements of the latter half. Didn’t agree with his conclusion (theistic evolution). Collins is definitely a scientist and not a theologian – Theistic Evolution just isn’t an option if you move beyond simply the first two chapters of Genesis and into the doctrines that are built out of it (ie. gender, marriage, death/sin, etc). As soon as we postulate a traditional evolutionary model, those doctrines (which I would contest are vital) collapse. Theistic Evolution (or “BioLogos” as he prefers to coin it) simply takes liberties that the biblical authors and figures (ie. Jesus and Paul for starters) don’t take.
(Challies has a good review of the book and the key problems with it here.)
My thoughts: The wildcard in the question of origins is twofold: Human fallibility and God’s ability to transcend the natural limits of the world he’s made.
Let me explain, though it may come off a little farfetched because, well, it is a little farfetched. Here goes: I don’t think Time is a constant. Some of this line of thinking I owe to studying Jacques Derrida earlier in the spring, but the point is this: I think time hasn’t always been progressing at a constant rate. In fact, if we measure time by earth’s revolutions around the sun, time actually IS progressively passing slower since earth’s revolutions around the sun are gradually taking longer (I believe we lose about 4 seconds a year at present). So, extrapolating this idea backwards, and injecting a little “God is God”… here’s my hypothesis: “Billions of years” (or at least the effects thereof) in six literal 24-hour days. How? Well, although time may be getting slower, it seems to me that human perception of it may still be a constant. This solves a few problems: the literal six-day young-earth God-made-it-all Bible-intact interpretation of Genesis gets by alright, and it explains the evolutionary phenomena we see (the stipulation being that the process happened much “faster” than previously thought – and yet at the same speed if that makes sense).
Admittedly, this is pretty makeshift, but it’s a start, and poses some really unique thought problems:
What if time isn’t, or hasn’t always been constant?
Big thoughts today. Enjoy.
…breakdown in three quarters
0Current Tunage: Frodus – Out-Circuit The Ending
In the dust of the least design I will take to the sky
Pictured is Durn. Weilding “Jin’Rokh, The Great Apocalypse”. Now at rest.
3 / 4
One to go.
Commentary: It feels so good to be done. Third year was difficult – not necessarily in terms of the content studied. Difficult in every way but scholastically, and so academics were thus rendered difficult as well. I feel like I’ve been stretched every way possible, and yet I know this is just the tiny, visible peak of a monstrous iceberg.
This year is significant for many reasons, but few of them relate to school. This year marked the beginning of my first real relationship in ~4 years. Real, in this case, meaning “she is actually, in fact, interested and reciprocal; capable of making her mind up and being clear about it”. I apologize if the previous sentence comes off as bitter, as I’m not much bitter anymore, just glad to not be tired in the same way I was when that sort of thing bothered me (ie. right before meeting Steph). To add encouragement to healing, I found myself engaged shortly thereafter to someone I oft refer to as “Miss MyUniverse”, among many other things. I freely admit my human propensity towards bias and preference and subjectivity, but I honestly and holistically would submit my Fiancee as the best woman in all chronology, geography, and my unchanging opinion. Bar none. If you disagree, I will fight you and your ignorance (gently).
Consequential to these remarkable and unexpected developments, focusing on academics has often been the last thing on my mind this year – and my marks will likely show the proof. I do expect to pass everything (some by the skins of their teeth), for which I am thankful and admittedly quite surprised in a couple of cases. Papers and topics for them filled my head throughout the year, and I feel some of my best writing ever was done – and some of the most mediocre as well. I discovered I rather dislike open-ended English essays, and rather love open-ended Philosophy essays. I nurtured a growing passion for poetry (which hasn’t really manifested itself in much writing for my poetry blog as of yet, but I’m sure it will come. Finally, I took to calling myself a “Philosophy and English joint major” where before I had called myself an “English and Philosophy joint major”. The reasoning is simple: I get excited about Philosophy. Almost always. English Literature, (especially the historical, remembering names and junk stuff) not so much.
Without further ado:
Annual Thirty “Best” Things of 0708 school year:
[IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER]
01. Going with Al & Shane & Gord to Barrie to commit random high-jinks.
02. Doing 2v2 Arenas with my friend “Serida” in the Fall (August-November ’07).
03. Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii – a more ‘epic win’ could not be conceived.
04. Getting myself into a real, honest-to-goodness relationship with someone-awesome.
05. Getting engaged to that same someone-awesome.
06. Thursday nights studying Colossians here at the house with my TCF small group.
07. Playing Dustin Kensrue’s “Blanket of Ghosts” with Todd at TCF Coffee House in honour of Robert Jordan. RIP.
08. Five months of unemployment (which was, simultaneously among the worst things).
09. No classes on Thursdays.
10. Getting both of my characters in WoW to level 70.
11. Quitting World of Warcraft in December. Again. For good this time. (It’s even uninstalled.)
12. Regular weekends in Toronto visiting Steph and so many other friends.
13. Trips way up North (South Porcupine) for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Premarital Counselling Round 1.
14. Mondays hanging out with Todd, talkin’ life.
15. Early Modern Philosophy with M. Neumann, and, more importantly, T. Anderson.
16. Acquiring a second family. /wave
17. TCF Retreats Fall & Winter.
18. Our new boarder – my friend Shane!
19. Finding my old green toque. Wearing it.
20. Walking the pooch (Nuka) late at night during warmer months.
21. Dangerous prayers.
22. Installing Covenant Eyes. Reaping the benefits.
23. Opening a PC Financial account. So. Good.
24. Studying Metaphysics, Epistemology, and 20th Century Continental Philosophy.
25. Joining up as a staff writer for The Phantom Tollbooth.
26. Not getting Windows Vista, a Mac, an iPod, a metal water bottle, a blackberry, etc. XP really is better…
27. Playing Team Fortress 2 and DotA with my brothers, friends, and enemies.
28. Having a sweet, sweet beard. Getting rid of a sweet, sweet beard.
29. Renos on my room being finished after a decade in limbo.
30. Stephanie.
Sleep soundly in silence
Knowing that we will never return
To what we once were
What was now is a distant memory
I guess that I should thank you
For freeing me from my naivety
-Project 86 “Breakdown in 3/4″
Annual Ten Most Important “New-To-Me” Records of 0708 school year:
[IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER]
01. Sev & Dust – “Back To Dust”
02. Thrice – “The Alchemy Index”
03. Project 86 – “Rival Factions”
04. As Cities Burn – “Come Now Sleep”
05. Matthew Good – “Hospital Music”
06. He Is Legend – “Suck Out The Poison”
07. Dashboard Confessional – “The Shade Of Poison Trees”
08. Lovedrug – “Everything Starts Where It Ends”
09. August Burns Red – “Messengers”
10. Oh, Sleeper – “When I Am God”
This is the sound that drives you to deny
These are the words that remind you we’re alive
This is the voice that haunts you in your sleep
Outdated, forgotten, we’re yesterday’s obsolete
-Project 86 “Breakdown in 3/4″
And my general plan now… is to rest. And work my (posterior) off. And contribute more than my share of the wedding planning. And have phun with friends. And read books I want to. And write lots of music reviews. And blog posts. And and and… get married.
Yes.
…let me tell you about God’s grace
2Current Tunage: Pedro the Lion – Rejoice
A melancholy note on which to end this school year’s writing. Perhaps fitting? Regardless, it’s time to party…
I was reading Christianity Today’s review of Tim Keller’s “The Reason for God” this morning, after FINISHING MY FINAL PAPER and, though I haven’t read the book yet, I have been feeling thankful for writers like Keller. I’ve enjoyed his stuff before, but I’m thankful that the best-selling wave of New Athiesm that washes over our bookstores and cultural subconscious has not gone unanswered. I’m thankful that it has been answered strongly, and well.
Having had some very telling, very good, very challenging conversations with friends who really don’t believe in Jesus at all this week, I find myself looking forward to… well… now. I’m looking forward to using the next few months, among much wedding planning and working, to hone some serious weaknesses in my ability and preparation to “give a defense to anyone who asks me for a reason for the hope that is in me”.
And on that note:
FREEDOM!!!