Post 777: Out of the Closet

[ClosetOtaku]

In the time-honored tradition of milestone posts, this is my 777th. I joined CAA 7 years ago, so the numerology seemed right to make this post. Besides, waiting for post 1000 would take another two years, and I can be just that impatient.

So, here it is, my singular, narcissistic, “I love me, and want you to love me tooâ€

[rocklobster]

So is this a Q and A thread?

[ClosetOtaku]

Absolutely, if you like. Or you can guess the game. Or make random comments. Hijack if you wish.

[rocklobster]

All righty, then. Answer me these questions three: (Yes, I love Monty Python)
1. Favorite writers?
2. Favorite animals?
3. Favorite color?

[ClosetOtaku]

Favorite writers:

Christian: C.S. Lewis, by far. JI Packer. John Stott. FF Bruce. Bonhoeffer. Kierkegaard, when I can understand him. Oswald Chambers.
Sci-Fi: Bradbury, Clarke, LeGuin, Heinlein. Crichton. Neal Stephenson. William Gibson. Vonnegut (satire, but usually with sci-fi overtones).
Fantasy: Zelazny, Tolkien, Philip K. Dick. Might have taken a liking to David Eddings had I read more.
Fiction. Liked Tom Clancy in the early years. Not so much any more.
Historical: David McCullough, Barbara Tuchman, Shelby Foote. George Will is always entertaining.

Favorite animals:

Huh. Never thought about it. I like dogs better than cats, cats better than most other animals. Used to own ferrets, they were entertaining but far too susceptible to disease.

Favorite color:

If I had to choose, I guess it would be blue.

[bigsleepj]

What is your favourite type of movie?

Have you seen a film by Akira Kurosawa, and what did you think of it?

Do you like coffee?

why do you consider Philip K Dick an author of fantasy???

Danish, or not?

[ClosetOtaku]

Movie: Suspense, usually heavy on the psychological thriller / existential side. For example, The Matrix, Inception, Memento, and the original The Haunting are among my favorites.

Kurosawa: I've seen three of his films, Seven Samurai, Ran, and Kagemusha. I can say that two of them (Samurai and Kagemusha) had a very strong emotional impact on me -- I think his films convey not only story, but stir up feelings without making you feel manipulated (like I do with many Western directors). I've also seen films by his contemporary, Yasujiro Ozu, and think he manages to do the same, although much more subtly.

Coffee: No. I do, however, drink some of the sweetened Starbucks offerings (Caramel Macchiato, Mochas, etc), and their cold drinks, but straight coffee does nothing for me. I normally drink a Coke or Pepsi at breakfast.

Philip K Dick: Why fantasy? My first novel of his was The Man in the High Castle, an alternative history story where Germany and Japan had won World War II. I considered it a very philosophical work, and not at all science fiction (although it appears I am in the minority here). I guess I always anchored him there, even though his other works I've read (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, for example) are solidly in SciFi territory. I guess I feel he is so much different than other SciFi writers, maybe he deserves his own category.

Danish? Actually, my family is originally from Norway, but I wouldn't be surprised that there are Danish lines involved.

[Furen]

Which one is the lie?

[shooraijin]

I don't think I use your software professionally. But hi, Bob!

[bigsleepj]

Kurosawa: I've seen three of his films, Seven Samurai, Ran, and Kagemusha. I can say that two of them (Samurai and Kagemusha) had a very strong emotional impact on me -- I think his films convey not only story, but stir up feelings without making you feel manipulated (like I do with many Western directors). I've also seen films by his contemporary, Yasujiro Ozu, and think he manages to do the same, although much more subtly.

I've yet to see Ozu, though I know Kurosawa took some subtle pot-shots at him at times in interviews. Off course, Ozu is on my list. Kurosawa, however, is one of my favourite directors, though his non-epic films (set in then-contemporary Japan) are without a doubt his best and most under appreciated films. If you ever get the chance you should try 'Ikiru' and 'High and Low', as well as his gritty 'noir' thriller 'Stray Dog'. You should try them.

Philip K Dick: Why fantasy? My first novel of his was The Man in the High Castle, an alternative history story where Germany and Japan had won World War II. I considered it a very philosophical work, and not at all science fiction (although it appears I am in the minority here). I guess I always anchored him there, even though his other works I've read (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, for example) are solidly in SciFi territory. I guess I feel he is so much different than other SciFi writers, maybe he deserves his own category.

Well, some of his later works tend to reflect his interest in gnostic Christianity and could be considered 'fantasy' on some level, but for me, because of 'Do Androids Dream' and 'Scanner Darkly' I consider him a science fiction author through and through. Which is why I asked.

Now, some more questions:

From what is your current avatar?

What would you consider the worst movie you've seen?

Worst book you've read?

[ClosetOtaku]

Which one is the lie?

Well, since no one seems to be guessing...

1. True. I got a stuffed Disney 'Pluto' dog onto Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1995 (STS-69). While we lived in Germany, my son's class entertained the Pluto toy as part of a project run by an elementary school in Minnesota. 'Pluto' had participated in the 50th anniversary D-Day landings and was visiting Frankfurt (this was in '94). When I was reassigned to Redstone Arsenal (Alabama), which is also home to the Marshall Space Flight Center, our teacher friend in Frankfurt asked what we could do with Pluto and NASA.

I searched on AOL (there were a lot more people on it back then) and found a QC technician who worked on the Shuttle program]False.[/B] That's the lie. I hate being on stage. I've always worked on the stage crew, though, so while I've never performed in a musical or play, I've worked on plenty of them.

3. True. I had a crush on the daughter of the Fencing Master from our local college when I was in High School, so I took up the sport. The crush faded, but I kept on with it through freshman year in college. After that, academics and other pursuits (including my EMT work) prevented me from competitively fencing again.

4. True. I am the descendant of Mary Ludwig Hays, who purportedly was the woman who manned my grandfather's cannon when he collapsed from the heat at the Battle of Monmouth. "Grandma Molly" was a pretty rough cut individual, who smoked a pipe, cursed, and was very likely a camp follower (performing certain 'services' for the soldiers in addition to cooking and laundry). Most of the dramatizations you see of her clean her up quite a bit for patriotism's sake. I have little doubt of the veracity of what she did, but the actual documentation is sparse.

[ClosetOtaku]

If you ever get the chance you should try 'Ikiru' and 'High and Low', as well as his gritty 'noir' thriller 'Stray Dog'. You should try them.

I will put them on my list. I've heard of Ikiru, but not of the others.

Now, some more questions:

From what is your current avatar?

What would you consider the worst movie you've seen?

Worst book you've read?

My current avatar is the cat that pesters Sakaki throughout Azumanga Daioh. In fact, I think it has been my only avatar while I've been on CAA. It is a piece of fan art (although I am not the artist).

Worst movie: Does anything from MST3K count? Otherwise, I think it is a toss-up: the original 1960 Little Shop of Horrors and the 1984 movie Dune. Terrible, both of them. I'm sure I've seen worse, but I fear my brain has blocked the memories. Good thing, I suppose.

Worst book: Thought a bit about this; my dad had a habit of picking up very third-rate SciFi books for me, so I don't recall the titles, but one had to do with martians invading the earth armed with a heat ray, and scientists going underground and discovering the Mayans, who had disappeared underground for reasons only known to them, and so the Mayans had become albinos, and guess who was resistant to the martian heat ray? The albino Mayans, of course, who just got a tan. It was really bad, but I was only about 8 years old, so I didn't know the difference.

[shooraijin]

I thought you had Osaka-chan at one point "On The Ball!" -- or was that in your sig?

[ClosetOtaku]

I thought you had Osaka-chan at one point "On The Ball!" -- or was that in your sig?

That was in my sig -- although I'm trying to remember if that was my first avatar -- long time ago -- but great memory on your part!!

[Kaori]

From a long time ago, I noticed that although you don’t post with great frequency, you always make a meaningful and high-quality contribution when you do, and I respect that.

What are your favorite books by Philip K. Dick? I’ve only ever read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, which I thought was terrific.

Also, what are your favorites by Lewis, Bonhoeffer, and Kierkegaard?

Last but not least, what places in Japan have you traveled to, and what has been your favorite experience in Japan?

[ClosetOtaku]

What are your favorite books by Philip K. Dick? I’ve only ever read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, which I thought was terrific.

Also, what are your favorites by Lewis, Bonhoeffer, and Kierkegaard?

Last but not least, what places in Japan have you traveled to, and what has been your favorite experience in Japan?

PKD: My favorites are The Man in the High Castle and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, but perhaps not for the reasons you would think.

I like The Man in the High Castle now -- admittedly more than I did when I first read it -- because I came to realize how Dick had used the I Ching to generate the story. (In re-reading it, I saw that the novel paralleled his use, and seemingly broke the "fourth wall" in a very clever way). So, I admired the effort, although I think the quality of the writing is not quite as engaging (though I got spoiled with too much William Gibson, perhaps).

I read Androids after I saw BladeRunner, so I had a hard time getting Harrison Ford out of my mind's eye, but I still found it to be a terrific novel.

Kierkegaard: I was able to force myself to get through all of Fear and Trembling, which is a really great work, but I likened it to running a full marathon in tiny little circles. I probably actually read it three times through because I had to re-start each paragraph at least once. Since then, I've gone mostly for excerpts of his writings, which are much more digestable. I hope that's not cheating, although I feel like I might be reading some of his work outside the context of the whole book.

Bonhoeffer: Without a doubt The Cost of Discipleship belongs on every serious Christian's bookshelf. I will say that I do not totally agree with him on all of his doctrine, but he is dead on target with his criticisms of the modern church. I don't typically use a highlighter on my books (I turn down the corner of a page if I want to go back and re-read a passage), but I marked up the two copies I've owned thoroughly.

Lewis: Good heavens, where to begin: The Screwtape Letters, which I've read a dozen times at least, and have even seen the play adaptation]The Great Divorce[/i], which I keep coming back to and turning over in my mind (forget Narnia, they should have made a movie of that novel); The Problem of Pain, which is really a good book to get you thinking if you can conquer the first chapter (it took me a few tries).

I like Mere Christianity, although I'm not as fond of it as I once was; I'm actually beginning to understand more of what he was trying to say in The Abolition of Man, although some critics do score points for Lewis' hijacking of the concept of the Tao (but, again, I think I can appreciate what he meant). Lewis' philosophies are not that much different than mine (or is it the other way around?).

I was never quite a fan of the Narnia series once I got past The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

Japan: I've been to some of the more recognizable places: Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Hiroshima, Himeji. My wife and I climbed (up to the 8th Station) Mount Fuji, then spent a wonderful day relaxing at the hot baths in Fujiyoshida.

It would be very hard to choose a favorite experience. I loved the Ghibli Museum; visited the Yasakuni Shrine during the Mitama Matsuri; shopped at Mandarke and Animate and Kinokuniya and Tokyu Hands; was shaken by an earthquake while in an Internet Cafe in Shibuya; marveled at Sanjusangendo and the Golden Pavillion; took a panoramic picture of Tokyo from the Rainbow Bridge (because I wanted an image that looked like the landscape from the opening of Witch Hunter Robin); rode the Shinkansen up and down Honshu; got lost in the streets of Tokyo and didn't mind a bit; had the best sushi in my life in the Ginza district at a place that I've tried to find again and wasn't able to; saw the Gundam at Odaiba; and found the Mimizuka in Kyoto, even though it isn't on tourist maps anymore.

But, if I had to pick: I was on the Philosopher's Walk in Kyoto during hanami, during the blooming of the cherry blossoms. Walking along, surrounded by the Japanese people, enjoying nature, on a sunny day, it's both a singular and corporate experience that is unique in all the world.

Thank you for asking (and for your very kind comment).

[Kaori]

I will say that I do not totally agree with [Bonhoeffer] on all of his doctrine, but he is dead on target with his criticisms of the modern church.

My thoughts on this book are fairly similar. The first section, on grace and discipleship, is excellent, and the last chapter (“The Image of Christâ€

[ClosetOtaku]

You must have visited Tokyo at very nearly the same time I did, since the Gundam was up for less than two months. There can’t have been more than a month's difference. Several of the places you mentioned I have been to, and some I have not, but this I find mind-boggling.

My wife and I went there in early July, 2009, my most recent visit. We flew in around Tanabata and left just after Mitama Matsuri.

And a picture of me, complete with HRC "Osaka" shirt, and the Gundam in the background...

[Kaori]

A friend and I saw the Gundam on July 31, 2009, so it really was only a few weeks after you were there. Small world.

[rocklobster]

1. Favorite C.S. Lewis book?
2. Favorite Narnia character?

[ClosetOtaku]

1. Favorite C.S. Lewis book?

The Screwtape Letters. Just so quotable, so innovative, and so spot on.

2. Favorite Narnia character?

Given that I don't really like the Narnia series all that much, I'd have to default to Aslan. Though I do enjoy Puddleglum.