three rings for the elven-kings under the sky,
seven for the dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
nine for mortal men doomed to die,
one for the dark lord on his dark throne
in the land of mordor where the shadows lie.
one ring to rule them all, one ring to find them,
one ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
in the land of mordor where the shadows lie.
-J.R.R Tolkien
i'll never forget the day i first read those words. i was nine or ten years old, so it would have been the late 80's. my family was upstate in our summer place, it was another lovely, yet boring day. my older brothers went swimming and refused to bring me, most likely because i was a horrible swimmer and they had to constantly make sure i wasn't dead on the bottom of the pool. my sister and cousins were busy with their soaps, their screaming informing me that frisco jones was doing his thing and nothing short of me being torn and quarted by a truck would pry their attention from that little screen for the next few hours.....so what was a young lad to do? i could have helped my dad with the ourdoor tasks that came with having cabins in the catskills. cutting the grass. pulling weeds. fixing the swings/ clothesline/ patio......but i was just as lazy then as i am now. i could have went into town with my mom and roamed around the aisles of jamesway or ames, but i must not have been feeling like bugging her for the latest model plane or what not. after going through the options it seemed that there was only one thing to do, find a book and settle myself into my hammock for the afternoon. i just couldn't choose the right book, since i already had gone though all my summer reading and i just couldn't stand the thought of wasting another afternoon mindless thumbing through one of my sister's babysitter clubs.........and then i saw it, sitting on my brother sean's bed. the fellowship of the rings. on the cover was a little man holding up a little gold ring while an elderly wizard looking fellow peered over his shoulder. thankfully i choose to pick up this weather beaten edition filled with the adventures of middle earth and not the adventures of the twins and pleasent valley.
this book had it all. fantastic settings. noble characters. sweeping action. beautiful vision.......i can go on and on. tolkien's writting was so multi layered that it was impossible for me to understand the full scope of the story that first read. by the end of the summer, i had read for the most part the three books. i skimmed over the poems and long dialogues of names because i was impatient for the battles and the conclusion. so i wasn't a rings geek just yet, i just thought it was a few pretty cool books. something to put up in my shelves with the rest, but then in high school i was persuaded by a friend to revisit the shire and the rest of middle earth and this time i was stunned.......this was just as important to modern literature as any o'neill play, salinger novel or yeats poem. instead of idylic escapism that i believed was the backbone of the tale, i found a meditation of the true nature of evil, the impact of hopeless courage, the power of an indivual against pluralism.........which is all fine and dandy for me, but why am i writing a blog about all this? i think most people know that i'm fairly insane with these books. that i've read them every year since that first time...let's face the cold facts, i'm a hella dork. not saying that i've ever dressed like an elf or something.....that would make me a nerd. big difference!! i just want to state the joy that this collection of words written by an oxford don almost sixty years ago have had on me.........and to encorage more people to read........i find it truly disturbing how little people read these days. it's easy to be sucked into the quasi worlds of computers/ videogames/ t.v/ movies, but it's an idle pleasure....the back and forth is limited, while there is no limit in the written word. so what i'm asking anyone who has read this, comment on what's one of your favorite books and where does it take you? to paraphrase bilbo, "you never know where the road will lead you when you step out the front door.".
well i took a little break from blogging......four months or so. what can i say? i just lost track of time for a wee bit........but fear not, i'm back with a mean streak. soooooooo on with the show.........what has changed in the last four months? loads and not that much......i won't go into much personal details cause i'm a man of mystery.......i would like this to be an open discussion, so feel free to use the comment option (spare a brother a dime)...........i'm gonna try to post something, most likely a little, every day.....next up, my obsession with the lord of the rings.
What does your name mean? Anglicized form of the Irish name Caoimhín, which means "handsome child" from Gaelic caomh........... Saint Caoimhin is the patron saint of Dublin.
Do you have any nicknames? red, smitty, rusty.
How old are you? born in the year of 1978.....so that makes me (one carries the two....ummmmm).....24.
How old are you mentally, physically and emotionally? mentally i'm an aged tree sloth, physically....an emasulated school girl, emotionally.......surprising well, thank you.
What is your sign? a leo/ virgo cusp......and yes, i have no idea what that means. feel free to fill me in.
Describe yourself in 5 words. .....at least i'm not quinn. hehheheehehhe.
What are your worst qualities? let my cat boss me around.
What are your best qualities? oh that's easy.......my hair.
What are you interested in? people on the subway.
Do you believe in God? only if he believes in me.
Do you believe there is life on other planets? ohhh geez.....*biting tongue, will not bring up uranus*......sure thing.
Do you believe in miracles? hmmmm.......i do.
Do you believe in true love? yes.....and that's a small miracle right there.
What is your favorite food? mashed potatoes.
What is your favorite vegetable? carrots.
What is your favorite drink? depends. guinness if i'm feeling regal. pbr if living like a peon.
Do you drive? sure thing....is my car driveable?.......erggghhh!!
What kind of car do you drive? this one is just making me sad.
What is your dream car? mini cooper.
Do you sleep with stuffed animals? not lately.
What is your favorite furniture store? does salvation army count? cause i bought the greatest couch in the world there...five piece red section, only seventy bucks. sweet little deal.
What kind of room do you live in? *sigh*......same room i've spent my childhood years.....thanks for the roof, mom and dad.
Are you currently employed ? yes i am.......just bidding my time till unemployment.
Do you have any siblings? aye, i do......all older than me. two brothers and one sister.
What are your favorite names for a girl? ........all i'm saying is that it's a drug reference.
What are your favorite names for a boy? mister........as in mister met.
Do you want to get married soon? not soon, but before thirty.
How many children do you want? three.
Do you play an instrument? *biting tongue again.......must not put down male organ.......tongue swelling* D'OH!!
What is your favorite color? kelly green
Do you swear a lot? i reallllllly try not to, but i'm from nyc, so it's f'ing part of me.
How long does it take you get get ready in the morning? between eight and eleven minutes.
Do you remember your dreams? if i get enough sleep i do.
Describe one. okay, sure.......so me and......hmmmmmm no wait, she'll kill me.......i dream about being james bond all the time.
What time do you go to bed usually? between midnight and one.
What time do you wake up normally? during the week, before six.....yup, that's a.m. *sob sob sob*
What time do you wake on weekends? noonish
Do you have heaps of friends? heaps of heaps.
Do you have a best friend? of course i do....
Do you have more guy friends or more girl friends? in college, it was mostly girls. now, i'm all about the fellas.....i mean, in a brotherly kinda way.
Do you have any pets? well i have mookie.....but he's not a pet really. more like an angry, lazy grand parent.
Have ever had sex? .........like with other people?......hmmmmm, don't remember.
Do you believe that a person shouldn't have sex before marriage? sure....for priests.
Do you believe in casual sex? hahahahaha.......i don't even believe in casual dating.
When do you plan or when did you lose your virginity? hmmmmmm. i don't remember the day......or the year.....i'm pretty sure i was there though.
Did you regret it? not at all.......it was awkward as all hell, but so has the rest of my life.
Do you smoke? god no!!
Do your friends smoke? crack? puff, puff, give.
Have you ever been drunk? HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! i'm surprised i'm not drunk now.
Have you ever taken drugs? anything that doesn't kill you, yada yada yada.
Have you ever stolen? never was caught.....soooooo no.
Have you ever lied to a partner? partner?....like crocket and tubbs?.....then nope.
Have you ever gotten into a fight? oh ya......irish temper and all.
Are you more innocent or guilty? neither.....legally insane.
Are you racist? try not to be.........just don't bring up the british.
Are you discriminatory to anyone? yep....to puppets.
Have you been a hypocrite in the past? well i am human.
Do you have an open or closed mind to other peoples beliefs and feelings? i try to learn something new everyday......hopefully it's not something stupid.
Are you funny or serious? i'm like a crying clown.....figure that one out!
Are you creative? i believe i am.
Are you a logical or lateral thinker? i'm not spock, i'm more of dr. bones....with no medical skills.
Are you outgoing or shy? painfully shy, unless under the influence.
Are you lazy or active? i'm hella lazy.
Are you happy with the way you look? welllll other than the whole orange hair, pale pale skin and glasses.....it's all good.
What would you change? a couple of muscles would be nice.
Do you have any body art? no no no no no.
Do you wear jewelry? not a bit.
Do you have any body piercings? used to have my tongue pierced, but i'm no longer young and stupid......well i'm not young anyhow.
Do you wear makeup regularly? don't have the time.
Do you have a large wardrobe? not really. i basicly wear the same pair of pants everyday and a rotation of fav. t shirts.
What is your favorite clothing store? i'm not really a shopper...it's really whateva my brother buys then outgrows.
Do you shower regularly? sure thing....i'm clean as a whistle.
What kind of soap do you use? what ever is on sale.....as long as it has some mousturizer in it.....got very dry skin.
What kind of shampoo do you use? suave......dumb cheap.
What is your favorite movie? ohhhhhhhh man! i can't choose one.....at this moment, lord of the rings.
What is the last movie you watched? Bullitt.....starring the great steve mcqueen. borrowed the dvd from my bro.
Who is your favorite actor or actress? actor?.....bill murray. actress?....shelley long.
What is your favorite television program? the simpsons.
What is your favorite television commercial? short ones.
What is your favorite type of music? indie rock......you ask me a vague question, you get a vague answer.
Who is your favorite musical artist? ummmmmm. i don't play favorites....pedro the lion is one of them though.
What is your favorite magazine? highlights.
What is your favorite type of book? i'm an avid reader, so pretty much anything
What is your favorite book? HA.......i'm not even gonna try to choose that one.
What is the last book you read? "Underworld" by dom delillo.
Who is your favorite author? thomas pynchon
What is your favorite board game? trivial pursuit.......i've never lost...got the belt.
What are you wearing right now? green t-shirt that says 'made in ireland', blue jeans, undies, glasses.
What are you listening to right now? ted leo and the pharmacists.
What are you thinking of right now? i should be sleeping..
How are you feeling right now? grateful that this is finally over..
typedslowly 
Tuesday, November 19, 2002
